Bears 16 North Wales Crusaders 32 - Betfred League 1, 2021, Round 13

Mike Hyde, Butts Park Arena, Sunday 8th August 2021

The wind was swirling around the Butts Park arena as the Bears kicked off in a match with significance for both teams, very much part of a pack behind the leading three, and as such in with a chance of the play offs.

That ‘Coventry Bears’ and ‘play-offs’ are being mentioned in the same sentence deserves a pause for reflection. This side can and does win against sides with a century of tradition and RL heritage and which are steeped in the game and surrounded by a pool of talent.

Anyway, Crusaders held the ball for the first set, before a good kick saw Robert Massam score in the first minute over on the left, but Thomas Johnson was unlucky with the conversion.

After regaining their composure, the home side started to respond and after a flowing move, Hayden Freeman was over the line, but Dan Coates couldn’t convert,

Coventry then entered a spell where they had most possession, but critical passes went astray, and it was the visitors who scored next as Kal Ashall took advantage of an overlap and a gaping hole in the Bears defence, and this time Johnson had an easy kick in front of the posts.

Crusaders were over again within two minutes as they seemed to outnumber the Bears with Massam again ending the move and crossing over, with another successful conversion from Johnson.

Next over was Jordan Gibson for the Crusaders as the game looked set to become somewhat one-sided. Two points were duly added. Already this looked like a game where the Bears were defeated in the first quarter of the game, they had to stabilises, consolidate and stem the flow of points being scored against them.

The Bears did then fight back into the game and a period of brutal stalemate then ensued, with the sides evenly matched but the Crusader’s lead holding firm, and the scoreline staying the same.

The second half started in a scrappy fashion, with the Bears pinned in their own half and then losing the ball as they made headway. A similar attack from the away team ended in similar manner as the stalemate of the first half continued.

Slowly, the pendulum swung the way of the Bears with a few promising attacks, finally finding fruition with a Kieran Hudson conversion, ably converted by Coates.

Some ferocious tackling from the Bears prevented a rapid reply, and soon they were over the Crusaders line but couldn’t make the touch down.

Then Crusaders crossed over twice in succession, but were penalised on both occasions, otherwise the game really would have been over.

The action was now end to end as Coventry came close, and then finally Harry Kaufman brushed off the cru defence to cross over, and the subsequent conversion to pull the Bears back to a six point deficit, with the momentum now with them.

However Gavin Rodden seized on an opening for the Crusaders first try of the half, but no conversion followed.

As the game entered its last few minutes, the stalemate returned, before Thomas Johnson scored for the visitors on the left flank, and successfully rounded off his afternoon with a conversion.

And so the Crusaders consolidated their position in the play-off pack, while the bears were left to rue the first twenty minutes which ultimately cost them the game, and seriously dented their chances of the playoffs as all but one of the remaining fixtures are away from home

MATCHFACTS

COVENTRY BEARS

1 Nathan Hill

2 Elliot Wallis

3 Hayden Freeman

4 Liam Welham

23 Reece Rance

6 Dave Scott

7 Dan Coates

22 Brad Clavering

9 Chris Cullimore

8 Peter Ryan

13 Harry Kaufman

11 Jack Dawson

16 Kieran Sherratt

Subs (all used)

15 William Budd

19 Brad ho

10 Kieran Hudson

18 Elliott Windley

Tries: Freeman(5), Hudson(52), Kaufman(58)

Goals: Coates 2/3

CRUSADERS

1 Tommy Johnson

15 Pat Ah Van

3 Ben Morris

4 Matt Reid

5 Rob Massam

6 Matthew Race

10 Brad Brennan

9 Karl Ashall

18 Warren Thompson

11 Gavin Rodden

12 Alex Eckley

13 Chris Barratt

Subs (all used)

14 Cameron Berry

17 Callum Hazzard

19 Jack Holmes

8 Ethan Kelly

Tries: HMassam(1,18), Ashall (12), Gibson(23), Rodden(64),Johnson(79)

Goals: Johnson 4/6

Penalty count: 8-9

Half-time: 4-22

Referee: C. smith

Attendance: 378

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 4-4, 4-10,4-16, 4-22: 10-22, 16-22, 16-26, 16-32