Bishop Auckland match reports
Dec
Winlaton 9 v Bishop Auckland 1st XV 10
Bishop were away to Winlaton on a bitterly cold December afternoon. With the wind in their favour and Bishop playing down the slope it was essential that points were put on the board as the second half was going to be a real test in these conditions and Bishop would need a lead to defend. Bishop had a new captain for this match in second row Luke Bryan - Victory
It wasn't long before Bishop were on the board, they were in Winlatons 22 and the forwards with lock Paul fletcher at the front drove forward and he managed to ground the ball under pressure for the try which was converted by Tombling 0-7. Once again Bishop looked dangerous as an attacking force with a couple of good runs from centre Taff Evans making good ground well into the Winlaton half. With a penalty awarded to Bishop which was neatly dispatched by Tombling Bishop increased their lead 0-10. This is when Bishop should have piled on more pressure and increased their lead but instead started to fall into bad habits and conceded a number of penalties which culminated in scrum half Richardson going to the bin for 10 mins. With no further scores being added the half finished 0-10.
Enforced changes were made at half time with Peter Gallone coming on for hooker Andrew Reilly and winger Andrew Buglass coming with the back line being rejigged with Connor Smith going on at Centre Taff Evans to full back and Zac Hole out to the wing. Bishop now had the task of defending their lead up the slope and into the wind and it wasn't long before Winlaton reduced the deficit with a penalty scored from just inside the Bishop half 3-10. Once again Bishop conceded far too many penalties and their indiscipline was punished with prop Danny Ross being sent to the bin. The gap was closed further when another penalty was converted by Winlaton 6-10. With Winlaton coming hard at Bishop it was essential that Bishop's defence was up to the task and they were with the flankers tackling hard not giving Winlaton an inch and not allowing them to develop any moves. Bishop had a couple of forays into the Winlaton half with a nice move from the backs out to winger Zac Hole to be stopped short of the line. Winlaton narrowed the gap to within a point with another penalty scored from just inside the Bishop half. With 10 minutes to go Winalton threw everything at Bishop and with Luke Bryan Victory maturing into his role as captain he galvanised the team into one final defensive effort. Winlaton tried a couple of speculative drop goals and Bishop held their nerve to finish the game victorious by the slenderest of margins.
This was Bishop's sixth straight win in a row however it was by no means a classic performance but sometimes you have to win ugly and it is a testament to the character within the team that they did just that.
Michael Hole 05 Dec 11
U14's Win War of Attrition
Bishop Auckland U14s 11 - Durham City U14s 10
Bishop U14s experienced the rare treat of a home fixture. The team lined up as follows:
Forwards Jordie Barkus, George Tindle, Will Bowden, Craig Jackson, Liam O'Brian, Nathan Mounter, Connor Witton, Adam Brunskill
Backs Seb Hole, Jack Hamilton, Luke Miller, Ben Curran, Josh Love, Ed Stringer, Dom Vasey.
Subs: Mathew Goundry, Chris Cruddace, Bradley Wilson Dando, Brandon Fieldson
Winter was upon us at West Mills as a blizzard swept in for the kick off. The driving wind and sleet continued for much of the game but the two teams provided an entertaining match which belied the conditions. Bishop weathered an early Durham onslaught with some ferocious defence from both forwards and backs. The City forwards were slightly quicker to the breakdown and this allowed their backs a little more time and space to run the ball. With the heavy pitch and atrocious conditions running rugby was going to be difficult but both teams kept the ball in hand, Durham going the closest to a try mid-way through the half but resolute defence ensured the ball was held up. Bigger and stronger in the pack the Bishop scrum worked well offering increasingly better ball for the backs but the only score of the half came from the boot of Jack Hamilton as he punished the City forwards for straying off-side.
Half Time: Bishop Auckland 3 - Durham City 0
The second half began with some untidy periods of play from both teams, and with chances at a premium the game was played predominantly in the middle of the park. Two defensive kicks are well chased by Josh Love and Luke Miller but the City defence held firm. A 5 metre scrum was won by Bishop and a great pick up from the base allows Adam Brunskill to power to within a metre of the line. Seb Hole picks up and is driven over by the line for the try. Lineouts were a lottery and a tap from the throw sees the City forwards react quicker and some indifferent tackling allows the opposition to score.
The game was now balanced on a knife edge with both teams showing guts and determination which belied their youth. Stepping up a gear the Bishop team got stronger as the game went on, but following a hopeful punt up the field the Bishop backs failed to deal with the situation and the Durham winger nipped in for the try. The final 10 minutes of the game was a tense affair with both sides desperate not to lose, and some Durham indiscipline cost them dear as Hamilton slots over the resultant penalty. Durham surged forward with minutes to go and with the Bishop defence all at sea they narrowly failed to score. The final whistle brings scenes of jubilation from the Bishop players, demonstrating just what the win meant to them.
Full Time: Bishop Auckland 11 - Durham City 10
This was a match played in vile conditions, but remained an entertaining game of rugby. In previous seasons we would have expected to lose this game, but grit and determination won the day. Hats off to all the players for digging deep and congratulations on a well-earned victory. Also a big thank you to the spectators who spurred the boys on.
MOTM Forwards: Connor Witton
MOTM Backs: Seb Hole
Michael Cruddace 05 Dec 11
Mowden Park vs BARUFC 'Under 10s
This week saw the BARFU under 10's travel to Mowden Park in Darlington. The blustery weather beating down did not stop the team performing even though pitch conditions were not ideal, their play was yet again outstanding.
Bishop started well with the quick pass taken at pace by Will to James, he made ground then a tackle by Mowden soon had him down, a good ruck over from Keira helped Bishop keep possession Callum quickly picked the ball up passed it to Luke who darted straight for the tryline. Mowden waisting no time with the re start found a gap in the defensive line a wake up call for what looked liked the sleeping backs. The game was all end to end Bishop tried to pile on the pressure but were driven back by Mowden. A try from Daniel then one from Mowden then James then Mowden.
Each team were hungry for the victory this came out in their play the sheer determination shown during the last 5 minutes was unbelievable. The excitement from the cheering crowds brought more people who were interested in what was going on to watch, both teams looked like little pros in the making playing for the world cup!!
Then all equal a very costly mistake from Mowden in the last minute of play, Bishop took advantage , a scrum down, scrum half Luke put the ball in then collected it as it came out a pass to Nathan who quickly offloaded to Liam who ran down the line. A try saving tackle from Mowden but Bishop kept on pushing forward, again the try line was in sight but Mowden still did not give up. Bishop seemed to find a second wind and up their game the quality of play payed off with the ball being passed along a very attacking line to each player and James waiting at the end to score the winning try.
The whole of the match Bishop looked dangerous both in defence and attack but Mowden fought back hard to the end the final score 50 v 45 in Bishops favour. A BRILLIANT TEAM effort.
WELL DONE: LUKE, WILL, JAMES, LIAM, DANIEL, KEIRA, NATHAN and CALLUM.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LUKE REDFEARN for outstanding tackles during the game.
See you all on Wednesday 6.30pm for training wrap up warm!!
