A day late and a dollar short

For the second time in two weeks Aireborough turned it on for the final ten minutes of the match, scoring two tries and finally clicking in the attacking third of the pitch, but ultimately fell short of the target set by Baildon in a blistering fifteen minute spell at the start of the second half.

The first half was a tight affair as both sides cancelled each other out – Baildon taking a 3-6 lead into the break with two penalties from fly half JJ O’Connell; with Ollie Catherall responding for the hosts with a well struck penalty from distance.

The second half saw Aireborough, well supported by a large, vocal crowd who had spent the early afternoon feasting at the Ex-Players and Supporters dinner at the clubhouse, start very slowly from the blocks and were punished by a clinical Baildon side.

Sustained early pressure from Baildon saw winger and Birthday boy Thomas Copsey sin binned for killing ball at a ruck in the Aireborough red-zone. The resulting penalty was kicked to the corner and the Aireborough forwards did well to disrupt the lineout – but conceded a five metre scrum which was won by Baildon, spun wide and ended with Baildon going over in the midfield for a well worked try. The conversion, just right of the posts, was charged down by Kris Brook after the Baildon kicker had taken an age to strike the ball to ensure the score remained 3-11. It was an excellent block by Kris Brook but came at a cost – with Kris Brook turning his ankle in the process and hobbling off the field to be replaced.

Baildon were soon on the attack again, forcing Aireborough back with strong rooking and support play. An overlap from a rook close to the Aire line was created and well executed to further extend the lead to 3-16 as a shell-shocked Aire regrouped under the sticks. The conversion flew between the sticks from out wide to extend the lead to 3-18.

Aireborough chased the restart well and applied pressure to Baildon as they looked to close the gap and finally get the second half started. A cheeky chip from the Baildon fly half over the advancing Aire defensive line was well caught by the kicker and he released a supporting player, who seemed a mile in front of the kicker but the referee saw no infringement, who gassed the chasing defenders to extend the Baildon lead to 3-23 through another unconverted try.

The final 20 minutes saw Aireborough finally get decent possession and territory as they looked to reduce the deficit and restore some pride in this local derby. Aireborough started to go through the phases and scrum half Stuart Wilson (was the beneficiary of an overlap out wide to cross for a try. The conversion was unsuccessful from Ollie Catherall, but Aireborough’s tails were up as they reduced the deficit to 8-23.

Baildon continued to defend well, albeit pushing the boundaries of the law and patience of the referee, as Aireborough continued to attack downhill. More pressure deep in the red zone saw Baildon commit one infringement too many and they were reduced to 14 men for the remainder of the game.

It only took Aireborough a minute or two to make the extra man count, with Thomas Copsey going over in the corner for a Birthday try. Ollie Catherall was again unable to convert but the score was now 13-23 with a few minutes to go – with Aireborough chasing a losing bonus point if another score could be converted.

Despite further Aireborough pressure Baildon stood firm and, as the clock turned red at the end of the regulation 80 minutes, a strong Baildon tackle resulted in a knock-on by Aireborough and the referee bringing the game to a close; losing 13-23 to their local rivals and slipping down to sixth in the table.

Man of the match:
Not the easiest award to make this week – with a number of good performances in the first half as the two sides nullified each other with strong defence. If I could give the award to the supporters for bearing with the team during the opening 20 minutes of the second half I would; but I can’t (blame the Pitchero website, not me!). Thomas Copsey was involved in the majority of the significant events during the match – being sin binned, scoring a try and (most importantly) fulfilling Birthday duties by bring quite a few beers for the lads to sup after the match (not that the result warranted it).

Both Thomas Copsey and fellow try scored Stuart Wilson are looking for player sponsorship. Sponsorship starts from just £50 for an entire season and comes with a number of advertising perks and will reach hundreds of local families and businesses. Please contact Nick Jackson (nickjackson0@hotmail.co.uk) for more information.