Words: Martyn Cheney
The Buffaloes ‘A’ Team Travelled to Allerton Bywater in their second game of 2021. With the first teams game being cancelled. The coaching team added a couple of the first-team squad into the team to add a bit of steel to the team.
The game started badly for the Buffaloes when Louis Morrison limped off after a couple of minutes and didn’t return to the fray.
But in the fifth minute a mistake by the home team put the Buffaloes on the attack, Courage Mkuhlani, broke through the defence and fed the ball to Harry Walker, who crossed for the first try of the afternoon. Tom Jenkins added the conversion, making the score 0-6 to the Buffaloes.
In the 10th minute, captain Curtis Sidebottom went on the rampage and threw a lovely reverse pass to a supporting player.
The Buffaloes were dominating the game and possession. In the 16th minute, Mkuhlani crashed over the line for his opening try of the day. Jenkins missed the conversion, extending the lead to 0-10.
Just on the quarter mark full back Kieran Foster-Matthews, danced around three of the home side and raced 40 metres to score an unconverted try, making the score 0-14.
The referee blew for a water break as the conversion sailed wide.
Four minutes after the restart, Stand-Off Peter Mitchell broke away and scooted past several defenders to score under the black dot. Mitchell added the extras to his own try, taking the lead out to 0-20.
In the 29th minute, Jacob Oldroyd raced 30 metres away from the despairing defenders, with Mitchell adding the conversion, the score now 0-26.
In the 35th Minute, Allerton Bywater loose forward Phil Hedley crashed over from dummy half for their opening score of the game, narrowing the lead, 4-26.
On the stroke of half time, Mkuhlani burst his way through the defenders to score his second try of the game, with Mitchell adding the extras. Making the half time score 4-32.
The second half started the same as the first, with the Buffaloes on the attack; in the 44th minute, Kieran McFarlane broke free from the defence and fed the ball to Oldroyd, who crossed for his second try of the afternoon. Jenkins added the extras. Taking the lead to 4-38.
Three minutes later, Foster-Matthews raced away from the defenders, sprinting 50 metres, before dropping the ball over the line.
On 49 minutes, McFarlane, sidestepping players, crossed for a try, with Foster-Matthews adding the conversion. Extending the lead to 4-44.
In the 53rd minute, Connor Booth embarked on a weaving run, leaving defenders in his wake, crossing for an unconverted try, with the score, 4-48.
On the three-quarter mark, Buffaloes centre Walker, raced 80 metres for his second try of the game, with Jenkins adding the extra points, taking the lead at the water break to 4-54.
Three minutes after the resumption, Allerton Bywater prop, Stephen Tinnion, crashed over for the home teams second try of the game, with Jordan Mosby adding the conversion, reducing the lead to 10-54.
Charlie McMurray crashed over the try line in the 70th minute for his second try of the season. Jenkins added the conversion, making the score 10-60.
Three minutes later, Jenkins capped a fine performance with his first try under the posts, with him also adding the conversion, taking the lead out to 10-66.
With two minutes to go, centre Walker crossed for his third try of the game. And Jenkins, added his sixth conversion of the afternoon to make the score 10-72.
The home side never gave up trying and stuck at it for the full 80 minutes. They will see some teams off during the season, without a doubt.
Harry Walker scored a sensational hat-trick. Courage Mkuhlani and Jacob Oldroyd were good value for their two tries each. But the stand-out performances were from Tom Jenkins, who played long minutes scoring a try and kicking six goals, and Kieran McFarlane who scored one try and set a couple of others up, taking the ball up and tormenting the defence.
The ‘A’ team have a week off now, with the first team returning to action next week, when the league season starts with an away game at Mirfield Stags. As yet spectators are not allowed in to games yet, hopefully this will change in mid-May.
Allerton Bywater – 1) Jordan Mosby, 2) Tom Wilkinson-Pycock, 3) Thomas Firth, 4) Robert Smillie, 5) Steven Jobling,6) Brendan Higgins, 7) Josh Benecke, 8) Stephen Tinnion, 9) Ryan Lazenby, 10) Matthew Lisle, 11) Carl Handley, 12) Wayne Eastwood,13) Philip Hedley, Subs; 14) Adam Walker, 15) Johnnie Oliver, 16) Richard Dobson. 17) Samuel Young-Cooper
Tries: Hedley (29), Tinnion (63)
Goals: Mosby
Bramley Buffaloes – 1) Kieran Foster-Matthews, 2) Ben Wilkinson, 3) Billy Butterworth, 4) Harry Walker, 5) Henry Sedgwick, 6) Peter Mitchell, 7) Samuel Worley, 8) Thomas Jenkins, 9) Ryan Jones, 10) Louis Morrison, 11) Courage Mkuhlani, 12) Jacob Oldroyd, 13) Curtis Sidebottom, Subs (All Used); 14) Connor Booth, 15) Charlie McMurray, 16) Thomas Langton, 17) Kieran McFarlane, 18) Andrew Boot, 19) Sean Beesting
Tries: Walker (5, 58, 76), Mkuhlani (16, 40), Foster-Matthews (21), Mitchell (24), Oldroyd (29, 44), McFarlane (49), Booth (52), McMurray (70), Jenkins (73).
Goals: Jenkins 8 Goals, Mitchell 3 Goals, Foster-Matthews 1 Goal.