Bramley Buffaloes returned home for their second league game of the season with several changes from last week’s squad, including 3 players making their season debuts, writes Martyn Cheney.
Unlike most pre-match banter everyone was talking not about the teams but about the return of the referee, Tony Martin, following his last performance at our previous home game against Siddal.
The game started with several errors for the Buffaloes with four early knock ons in our red zone.
Spirited tackling helped us to survive the first three, but the pressure told when a well-organised Queensbury side moved the ball out wide and their second rower beat several despairing tacklers to score. The goal was missed leaving the Buffaloes 4-0 down on six minuntes.
Despite missing several pivotal players, the Buffaloes were spurred into action and after some end to end plays the returning Romeo sliced through on 17 minutes to level the scores. Kieran Foster-Matthews converted, and the Buffaloes were up by six points to four.
Just as Simon, the Buffaloes coach, was telling his players to be alert from the kick-off Queensbury tried a short restart that just went the 10 metres catching the Buffaloes off guard.
Queensbury swept the ball across to their right, and the Queensbury winger ran in to score by the corner flag to regain their lead at eight points to six.
Bramley dominated the rest of the first half after Conner McGill entered the fray with some very zealous tackling that shook up the Queensbury backs. The Buffaloes’ may have gone into the lead twice during the last 10 minutes of the half had a series of ‘tries’ not been disallowed.
The first came on 30 minutes when Aiden Baranyi, who worked tirelessly throughout, forced his way over the line from close range. The referee – after taking what seemed an age – decided on a double-movement, seemingly the only one who thought so.
The second came four minutes later. Conner McGill made a great last tackle cross-field kick that was chased and grounded by Kieran Foster-Matthews. Despite being 25 metres away, the referee allegedly saw the ball being touched down beyond the dead ball line thus ruling it out, much to the bemusement of the Buffaloes coaches and supporters.
Half-time and the Buffaloes trailed six points to eight.
The second half started brightly for the Buffaloes when on 44 minutes Romeo burst through to score his second try of the afternoon. Kieran Foster-Matthews stepped up to covert, and the Buffaloes went into the lead 12 points to eight.
On 54 minutes Queensbury got back on level terms when their left wing went in to score. Their third conversion was missed, leaving the score-line at 12-all.
On 59 minutes Queensbury scored again after toiling their way slowly towards our line. Against some strong home tackling, they reached the halfway line and kicked on the last tackle.
The kick was going nowhere but took a wicked backwards bounce that wrong-footed the Buffaloes defence. Queensbury’s second rower was in open space and found his supporting winger, who scored the try.
After three failed conversions the Queensbury number 6 took over the kicking duties and converted. The Buffaloes were now twelve to eighteen down.
Despite going behind The Buffaloes sensed the Queensbury pack were tiring and on the 64th minute, the ball was worked through to our returning second rower Xavier Martin who bounced off the cover tacklers to score at the side of the post. Kieran Foster-Matthews converted to bring the Buffaloes level at eighteen all.
On 70 mins came the game-breaking try. From a loose Queensbury carry the ball dropped into the hands of Kieran Foster-Matthews on his own 10-metre line. In a flash, he darted through the Queensbury players to run a full 80 metres leaving the Queensbury wingman chasing shadows.
The Buffaloes supporters gave rapturous applause as Kieran Foster-Matthews put over his fourth conversion of the day. The Buffaloes took the lead 24-18.
Moments later came a third disallowed try for the Buffaloes. This time Romeo was the one disappointed when he kicked high on the last tackle and chased through to see the Queensbury defender knock-on.
Romeo gleefully pounced on the ball over the line for his hat-trick only for the referee to disallow the try apparently for offside – much to the Buffaloes supporters’ amazement.
The Buffaloes, however, looked to dominate a tired Queensbury defence further as Keiran Hudson went through one of his trademark runs past several despairing tacklers to ‘score’ on the 78th minute.
This time Bramley was surprised when, much to the Queensbury team’s protestations that the ball had been lost in the act of scoring, the try was given. Kieran Foster-Matthews narrowly missed with the conversion making the score 28-18.
To their credit Queensbury didn’t give in. In the 80th minute the ball fell to the full back wide out-right on the last tackle. He speculatively kicked towards the try line and he looked somewhat bemused to see there was no cover as he dotted the ball down over the line. A successful conversion left a final score of Buffaloes’ twenty-eight, Queensbury twenty-four.
Bramley Buffaloes: 1) Tom White, 2) Kieran Foster-Matthews, 3) Keiran Hudson, 4) Brandon Batchelor, 5) Luke Standing, 6) Aaron Henry, 7) Aiden Baranyi, 8) Charlie McMurray, 9) Cameron McLachlan, 10) Daniel Steel, 11) Thomas Langton, 12) Daniel Baranyi, 13 Xavier Martin, Subs (all used); 14 Connor McGill, 15) Robert Brown, 16) George Waterman, 17) Sam Walding
Tries Aaron Henry (17, 44), Xavier Martin (64), Kieran Foster-Matthews (70), Kieran Hudson (78)
Goals Kieran Foster-Matthews (17, 44, 64 & 70)
Queensbury RL: 1) Billy Naylor, 2) Luke Safa, 3) Jack McMillan, 4) Dave Greenwood, 5) Luke Doyle, 6) Robson Moore, 7) Andy Robinson, 8) Jack McCormack, 9) Jimmy Simpson, 10) Steve Nagy, 11) Tom Hainsworth, 12) Joe Langford, 13) Callum Murgatroyd, Subs (all used); 14) Scott Swan, 15) Joe Brain, 16) Brandon Godward, 17) Sam Chaney
Tries Langford (6), Luke Safa (22), Luke Doyle (54, 59) Billy Naylor (81)
Goals Robson Moor x 2
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