Old Wesley 13 v Bective Rangers 21
Fixtures between Wesley and Bective have always tended to be competitive affairs and this encounter was no different as both teams started with a high level of intensity. It was honours even for the opening quarter as both sides tried to lay out their cards. The nearby neighbours opened the scoring with a 30 metre penalty after 6 minutes and 15 minute later Barry McLaughlin levelled the score with a similar penalty.
However as the first half evolved it was Bective that started to look slightly the better side as their sharp back line regularly gained ground. Then on 25 minutes the same back line had a huge overlap and despite desperate defending crossed the line. Following consultation with the touch judge the referee awarded the try. The home side responded well and some good forward play brought them into the opposition 22 where substitute out half Dan van Zyl struck with a neat drop goal. Bective were well short with a further penalty attempt just before the break. Half time, Old Wesley 6 Bective 8
The second half saw van Zyl continue to use the boot to good effect. A fine cross kick put play deep into the Bective 22 but their line out defence held firm. Minutes later there was a similar Bective line out just 5 metres from their line. The throw in looked crooked however the referee did not agree and they cleared their lines.
Mid way through the half Bective received a yellow card for foul play giving Wesley some optimism however it was Bective who struck first with a blocked down clearance kick and a try under the posts. Wesley did eventually capitalise when Rory Stynes made a fine break to bring the attack into the opposition 22. Then quick recycling led to Wesley eventually crossing for a try by winger Barry McLaughlin, who went on to make it a 7 pointer with a fine kick from the touchline. Indeed McLaughlin was probably Wesley’s most potent back on the day.
Wesley’s resurgence was short lived as a penalty kick allowed Bective to score next. Then with less than 10 minutes to go and just when Wesley looked like they could score again Colin Wallace received a yellow card for tackling in an offside position. With 5 minutes to go Bective were awarded a penalty in front of the posts which they duly converted to bring the score to 21 – 13 and a critical two score lead.
Just on the final whistle Wesley were awarded a kickable penalty however some lack of communication saw them run the ball rather than opt for a kick at goal and earn a valuable loser’s bonus point.
So whilst this was a much improved performance from the previous week it means that for the third match in a row Wesley have failed to score a single league point.
Old Wesley: Rory Stynes, Barry McLaughlin, Stephen Harvey, David Potterton, Eoin Stynes, Ian Cassidy, Izak Muller, Dave Henshaw, Jamie Boyle, Mark Sothern, Phil Hosie, Ian McGann, John Carroll, Conor Boyd, John Sothern. Subs: Simon Goldsmith, Michael Stack, David Whatley, Colin Wallace, Dan van Zyl
Old Wesley Scorers: Barry McLaughlin (try, con, pen), Dan van Zyl (DG)