by Paul Abraham
The rugby league juggernaut, also known as the Bramley Buffaloes are back in action this Saturday when the Scarborough Pirates invade West Leeds Rugby Union ground at Blue Hill Lane.
The hosts who are in a rich vein of form and will be looking to consolidate their position at the top of the table.
The “Buffs” will be selecting from strength, with Kieran Foster-Matthews looking to add to his tally of eight tries for the season.
Captain Brad Wilson is enjoying his role at hooker this season and will also be looking to add to the six tries he’s scored in his six appearances this campaign. Goal-kickers Kacper Mroz (11) and Colin Cobley (10) will be vying to add to their totals.
Bramley Buffaloes v Scarborough Pirates is on Saturday, 10 June is at West Leeds RUFC, 158 Blue Hill Lane, Wortley LS12 4NZ. Kick-off is 2.30pm.
The season so far…
The start of the Yorkshire Mens League Division 4A season started with a disappointing defeat as a very weakened Buffaloes lost to a more experienced Westgate Common “A” side by 0-44 at the impressive and immaculate West Leeds Rugby Union ground on Blue Hill Lane.
As the Westgate Common first team game had been called off the visitors chose to select some players from their YML Premier Championship 2023 team which the depleted Buffaloes struggled to contain.
The following weekend brought Scarborough Pirates to West Leeds in the first round of the YML Shield competition.
With players returning and over 40 attendees at the week’s training sessions, the side was pumped up and eager to show the Bramley faithful what to expect with a full side.
The Pirates were put to the sword from the moment they went 0-6 behind to the Buffaloes. The side from the East Coast had no answer to the quick passing and strong running of the Bramley side who raced to a 38-0 half-time score.
The second half continued in the same vein, but credit to the Pirates who kept on battling to the final minute before the referee’s whistle ended their suffering following a 68-12 win for the home team.
Highlights of the day included a Jamie Donnelly hat-trick of tries and a brace from Jack Boot as eleven different players crossed the try-line.
The Buffaloes returned to West Leeds and a league match against top of the table Batley Boys and heartbreakingly lost with the last move of the match in the 83rd minute. Batley went home with a 16-13 victory, which was completely against the run of most of play and left coach Steve Langton shaking his head in disbelief as to how the Buffaloes had lost a match they had dominated throughout.
The disappointment of the previous match was brushed aside as was the Leeds Akkies side who felt the full force of the dominant attacking play. The “Buffs” sliced through the defence at regular intervals and after leading 32-4 at half-time, and continued to command all areas of the pitch to come away with an impressive 66-8 victory.
Special mention for hat-trick hero Kieran Foster-Matthews and two-try Jacob Oldroyd among the ten try-scorers.
With Cottingham Tigers failing to raise a side for the YML Shield match, the Buffaloes next match was against the Goole Viking who at the start of the match sat one place above the hosts.
Buffaloes fans were delighted to see the return of Tom Langton after his season with West Leeds RU had finished and he was back in the black and amber of Bramley.
In a thrilling first half which saw the Buffaloes lead 24-12 at half-time, Bramley went up a couple of gears to sink the Vikings by 46-16 at full-time.
Two tries for club captain Brad Wilson and five goals from right winger Colin Cobley being the highlights in this great victory.
The next visitors to take on the rampant Buffaloes were Crigglestone All Blacks who, at the start of the match, boasted four victories from their first five matches.
With the sun blazing down, the All Blacks could not cope with a Buffaloes side that scorched to an incredible 40-0 half-time break. With the game already over as a contest the second half was more subdued but still enabled Bramley cruising to a final victory of 66-4.
Aiden Baranyi and Foster-Matthews each crossed for two tries as 11 players shared the 13 tries with Kacper Mroz slotting over seven goals.
What was expected to be a severe test for the Buffaloes in their YML Shield quarter-final at home to Upton, turned in to another demonstration of Bramley’s free-flowing style of rugby as the visitors had no answer to Bramley’s strength and speed as the home side ran in 42 unanswered points.
Daniel Booth led the way with 18 points from three tries and three goals, Foster-Matthews and Louis Morrison both scored two tries with Jack Boot scoring the other try with Martin Loveridge completing the scoring with two goals.
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