Beckenham Men 1st XV
Matches
Sat 07 Sep 2019  ·  London 1 South
Belsize Park
Tries: J Yerrell (3), M Liebling Conversions: S Docherty (5)Penalties: S Docherty (2)
51
7
Beckenham Rugby Football Club
Beckenham Men 1st XV
Tries: J BlackmoreConversions: L RichardsYellow Carded: A Jones, A Knowles
Beckenham put to the sword by Belsize Park

Beckenham put to the sword by Belsize Park

Michael Timms10 Sep 2019 - 17:36
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Tough start to life in London 1

Beckenham began their first campaign back in London 1 at Regent’s Park. James Blackmore demonstrating the work ethic that got Beckenham promoted last season by arriving 2 hours before meet time!

The game kicked off with the familiar sight of open side Hans Laud-Anderson foraging at the breakdown, but however ended up conceding a penalty which was duly converted from close range by Belsize fly half who kicked with unnerving accuracy all game. 0-3 with a minute played. This spurred Beckenham in to action, as they regained their composure with strong carries from the forwards, which began to test their opposition. With Beckenham in the ascendancy, breaks from James Curr and George Baker, although thwarted by physical Belsize defence, put Beckenham on the front foot. After several more phases the ball reached second row James Blackmore, who barged through several defenders to score. The try converted Louis Richards.

After an early purple patch, the rest of the half was sloppy from Beckenham. A misfiring lineout and repeatedly failing to clear their lines meant increasing pressure from Belsize Park. Despite this Beckenham were still able to string phases together, gradually approaching the Belsize try line, however a turnover at the breakdown saw Belsize break out and counter effectively against the covering blue and gold defence. Beckenham held Belsize Park out for numerous phases until eventually the Belsize forwards crashed over to regain Belsize Park the lead, with the 10 adding the 2.

Beckenham struggled to keep hold of the ball with several errors coughing up possession, which meant we were unable to build phases. As the half wore on, frustration began to tell, with Beckenham giving away numerous penalties, finally being punished by the boot of the Belsize fly half, who scored another three points off the tee.

This continued for the rest of the half and with the clock ticking down, the away side were eventually punished, with a stretched Beckenham defence unable to prevent the Belsize winger scoring in the corner, his first of 3 on the day! Leaving Beckenham heading into the break 18-7 down.
Beckenham started the second half much brighter and although still stuttering, managed to string a decent number of phases together to get into the Belsize 22. With the ball going wide, a pass to winger Mike Furness would have put him clear in the corner however the pass was picked off by the Belsize 11 who raced the length of the field to score under the posts, for his second of the match. The Belsize 10 adding the extras. A real sucker punch for Beckenham after starting the half brightly!

Beckenham defended well following the try as Belsize kept hold of possession and continued their physical onslaught. However, the pressure eventually told. Second half sub Alex Jones saw yellow on the 60-minute mark for repeated team infringements. Skipper Andrew Knowles soon followed him, with another team yellow, leaving Beckenham with only 13. Belsize park’s numerical superiority bore fruit. Playing the advantage well, after a number of phases close to Beckenham’s try line, Belsize drove over for another try despite some heroic blue and gold scramble defence. This try gave Belsize the well-deserved bonus point.

Belsize finished the game strongly, punishing Beckenham with two more tries whilst Jones and Knowles waited to return from the bin. The boys weren’t about to surrender however and with the final whistle approaching, looked to regain some pride and finish on a high. However, Beckenham’s attack was again thwarted with another intercept by the Belsize 11 close to the line, with the winger running in under the posts to bring up his hat trick and the 50-point mark for Belsize

FT Belsize Park 51 - 7

A rude welcome to London 1 south for Beckenham. Although Beckenham were not at the races, credit must go to Belsize Park, who were well organised and clinical with their chances. We look forward to welcoming them to Balmoral Avenue later in the season.

Mentions of debuts for hooker Sam Tiffin and Brett Menefy. Belsize named Hans Laud-Anderson as man of the match, with a typically nuisance like performance.

Next week Beckenham travel to old friends and also recently promoted Horsham and the boys will be looking to bounce back with a win! Kick-off is 3pm, all support is welcome.

Match details

Match date

Sat 07 Sep 2019

Kickoff

14:00

Competition

London 1 South

League position

2
Belsize Park
13
Beckenham
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

1st XV Sponsor - The Elm Tree
1st XV & Club Sponsor - LMG Building Services Ltd
Sponsor - Tyler's Sportswear
Sponsor - Ashfold Consulting Ltd
Sponsor - Wise Insurance
Sponsor - Rhodes Plumbing & Heating
Club Sponsor - Patrick's
Club Charity Partner - Caspa
Club Charity Partner - 02E