Yorkshire secured a very comfortable 59 points to 3 win over Northumberland in their opening pool game in the Bill Beaumont County Championship Cup series at Wagon Lane, home of Bradford and Bingley RFC on Saturday 4th May.
Huddersfield RUFC were well represented in the Yorkshire team with flanker Lewis Bradley, hooker Francis Entressengle and scrum half Jack Maplesden featuring in the starting line-up and prop Harry Whitfield and full back Tom Hodson making appearances off the bench in the second half.
The Tykes were quickly into their stride running in four tries in the first half hour. Fly half Jack Blackeney-Edwards was the first over the whitewash swiftly followed by Henry Roberts getting the first two of his four of the day on the left wing. The team produced some decisive breaks and clinical finishing with the second try being triggered by Bradley making good ground to create the momentum from the halfway line. A rampant opening period was ended when centre Lewis Minikin got the fourth try on 24 minutes rounding off his effort with his fourth successful conversion.
An unconverted try by Jamie Broadley on the stroke of half time completed Yorkshire’s first half scoring with a penalty on 12 minutes for Northumberland producing their only points of the afternoon.
After the break full back Callum Irving dotted down at the end of a left wing break and Roberts completed his hat-trick, cruising home on 57 minutes following an interception with Minikin converting.
The final quarter was a scrappy affair as Wagon Lane was hit by squally showers. Yorkshire struggled to re-capture their earlier fluency but Northumberland still didn’t manage to pose much of a threat. Late scores by Roberts and Tom Hodson, who skated in down the right flank following a turn-over on Northumberland’s 5 metre line, in the dying minutes rounded off a comprehensive opening win for the White Rose.
Yorkshire play Cheshire at Laund Hill, Huddersfield next Saturday before completing their group games with a trip to Fylde to take on Lancashire the following week.
Richard Sykes
