Ref hands out red cards as Bears boil over
Sherburn Bears.............................. 20
Kinsley Raiders.............................. 28
A comfortable half-time lead of 16-6 was turned into the first home defeat of the season for rugby league side Bears as they succumbed to the meanest defence in Pennine Division 6, along with a referee who seemed to have lost the plot as he awarded penalties to the visitors at an alarming rate.
A sin-bin punishment for questioning the official’s decision was followed later in the match by a couple of red cards – the first for swearing at the ref and the next for disputing an alleged foul, all of which meant that Bears ran out of numbers in defence when they needed it most.
Despite tenacious defence from the Raiders, however, Bears soon got on top as they opened down the slope with Kevin Dalton crossing in the corner following good work from centre Bryn Watson.
And although they seemed lethargic and out of sorts, Shaun Crossland extended the lead, with captain Martin Leahy adding the extras.
But with the Sherburn defence a pale shadow of that shown in recent games, Kinsley fought back. Yet with Leahy and Sam Booth cleverly moving the ball from one side of the field to the other, Dalton scored again out wide, after which Leahy added a penalty.
However, Bears were still struggling to wake from their slumber as the second half kicked off, which saw Raiders turn the tables before Watson regained the lead.
But the closing stages turned into a farce with Raiders being awarded a string of penalties – in one case for alleged use of the elbow when it was apparently no more than a hand-off, especially when the Kinsley player didn’t protest.
Willetts Kitchens man of the match was second-rower Adam Withington.
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Weather for Goole
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
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