Speaking after the match, captain Jake Brady said that his side “got their reward for a tough first block of training.” He said the win would take some digesting and he’d “have to wait for his heart rate to calm down” before comprehending what the silverware represents, for him personally and the club as a whole.
The match started at a frantic pace with both sides struggling to gain a real foothold. The referee allowed the game to flow, missing clear infringements on both sides at the breakdown.
Leeds Beckett were awarded the first penalty; it was kicked to touch but the move broke down in a promising position, courtesy of some resolute Tykes defence.
Kieran Davies tried to open the scoring as he opted to take the shot at goal from just inside his own half; the attempt drifted narrowly wide.
With the next passage of play, Harry Robinson got himself on the end of a free-flowing move to open the scoring. Davies was off target with the touchline conversion attempt, 5-0.
Visitors Beckett didn’t pass up their opportunity as promising flyhalf Oli Toomey kicked their first points, shortly after Tykes’ skipper Brady had been sin binned for a high tackle, 5-3.
The university side, bolstered by a raft of returning players, tried to make the most of their numerical advantage. They produced some training ground moves and were close to a breakthrough when their rampaging props combined neatly to cause some desperate scrambling defence from the Tykes.
A water break followed, allowing both sides to draw breath; an opportune moment for Brady to return to the fray.
Possession switched hands a few times before the best move of the game led to a try for replacement prop Tobi Ademakin. The bulldozing forward was the beneficiary of a superb line break from Matt Burke, who had the presence of mind to find the support on his inside shoulder. Davies added the simple conversion from between the posts, 12-3.
Instead of consolidating their lead, the Tykes were the architects of their own downfall. Will Smith went to the sin bin for deliberate offside. Toomey slotted three points from the resulting penalty, 12-6.
With wind in their sails - literally in blustery conditions – Beckett were not to be outdone and wrestled their way into the lead on the stroke of halftime, thanks to a converted try, 12-13.
After the change of ends, possession ebbed and flowed with both sides looking to assert their authority on proceedings. Conor Lloyd took on a difficult penalty attempt, which looked over at first glance but was adjudged to have just shaved the wrong side of the uprights.
Beckett were awarded another penalty for hands in the ruck. An alternative kicker fell just short with his effort, in what was a tense start to the third quarter.
After several phases of play in centre field, Tykes finally found their groove as sponsors’ man of the match Charlie Venables got over the whitewash for a well-deserved score. Davies added the conversion, despite the initial evidence suggesting he may have fluffed his lines, 19-13.
Following the final water break, Kieran Davies forced his way over in the corner, narrowly evading the corner post in the process. He had broken the line with an audacious dummy worthy of winning any game. The conversion was missed but the lead was starting look comfortable, 24-13.
Solid Tykes defence held Beckett up on several occasions. One such attempt sparked protests from the LBU bench, who believed they should have been awarded a penalty try for a last-ditch high tackle.
Their continued pursuit of the Tykes’ line eventually paid dividends as they got over for what turned out to be a consolation score. It was expertly converted from a wide angle to make the score 24-20.
Firm rear guard action repelled waves of desperate attacks as the referee brought the match to a close, after what seemed like an age of stoppage time.
Jubilant scenes followed as Jake Brady lifted the Ventur Cup trophy to seal a memorable first phase of the club’s reformation.
After the game, Director of Rugby Phil Davies commended his side for their efforts. “It was a good game of rugby considering we’ve only been together for 11 weeks. The way we came back and held the lead at the end of the game was excellent and bodes well for the season ahead.
“We kept composed and organised when we were down to 14 men. Obviously, we would prefer it not to happen, but that’s rugby and you have to be prepared for all eventualities.”
Captain Brady apologised for his misdemeanour: “The yellow card was a product of not playing competitive rugby for so long.
“I was pleased with how we managed the game playing in such a great stadium with vocal support. It gives me great encouragement for how the club can grow in the future.
“We will celebrate now and enjoy our time off but it’s important not to get carried away and undo all the good work we’ve done in this block. We all have home fitness programmes to maintain our standards in the four-week break.
“Credit to Ventur for putting this tournament on. The sponsors and supporters have been fantastic and we look forward to them all getting behind us at West Park Leeds next season.”
Details of upcoming fixtures will be confirmed as soon as we have them. You can expect some pre-season action in August. We hope to see as many people as possible there.
Check out our gallery of photos from the match.
Photos courtesy of John Ashton
