Sun 26 Nov 2023, 11:00
Bucks Cup R1
With cup rules stating a max squad of 22 there were some tough selection decisions made during the week so sadly a couple of boys missed out however with decent training Nos along with no sign of the previously frequent last minute withdrawals The Bears were set for the early departure down the M40 to Beaconsfield, although a 07.30 alarm on a cold and frosty Sunday morning is not the one...
Having not played each other for some time, Beaconsfield are known to be a strong side and The Bears would definately be the underdogs but with the pressure off, the coaching team were excited and hopeful of a strong performance.
Beaconsfield to kick off it was game on...
A shaky start from The Bears as they knock on from the kick off but Connor redeems himself with a crunching tackle in the corner, with Beaconsfield on the early ascendency The Bears miss touch with their clearance and some good hands see Beaconsfield score in the corner which was excellently convertered, 4 mins gone 7-0.
6 mins later and it got worse for The Bears as following a good nudge downfield Aflie found himself isloated and with the clearance again not on point Beaconsfield were able to work the ball wide for a fine score in the opposite corner, again a surperb touchline conversion to give Beaconsfield a 14-0 lead after 11mins and it was looking to be a tough morning. However at this point The Bears woke up and were putting some real pressure on Beaconsfield who were having to work hard to stem the powerful bursts of The Bears forwards making some decent inroads however Beaconsfield who's defence which was generally awesome all game were starting to get frustrated and following a sucession of penalties Ryan was able to crash over for a well derserved try. Conversion missed but 23 mins gone and 14-5. The Bears were well and truly back in the game and feeling confident but with no further scores the half time whisltle sounded.
Half Time 14-5
A chance to regroup and a positive chat The Bears knew they had a sniff.... 5 mins into the half and this sniff became more so as Duke picked up the ball and went off on a mazy run deep into Beaconsfield half coming up just short but with Connor providing excellent support he was able to take the offload to cross the whitewash and with Harry W adding the 2, 14-12 and an exciting 25 mins to follow... With both teams having opportunities it was Beaconsfield who were the more frustrated as The Bears were winning the penalty count and were certainly getting the rub of those 50/50 calls. There was some quality rugby on show from both teams and despite the cold day things were really hotting up on the field with the healthy crowd being treated to a competitive game played in the right spirits. Play was heading back and forth but both defences were staying strong and there was no further score until what turned out to be game changing as with 5 mins to go The Bears were awarded a very kickable penalty but depsite the call from Captain Henno to go for the sticks The Bears were feeling confident and went for the try (got to admire the postitivity however a lesson leant here) as the ball was turned over and Beaconsfield were able to work themselves upfield for their first score of the half and whilst a strong run the tacklling should have been better, the conversion was surprisingly missed 19-12. You could tell by the Beaconsfield players/coaches celebrations how relieved they were but at this point and despite The Bears previous fighting spirit their heads had dropped and deep into injury time Beaconsfield were able to cross again with the conversion added to give a final score line of 26-12.
Not taking anything away from Beaconsfield as they were a fine side, with a well structured defence and players with individual brilliance but the scoreline did flatter them in the end. The Bears will be ruing some sloppy tackling and thinking what might have been as they can hold their heads high for putting in a very creditble perfomance and made Beaconsfield sweat right until the end.
We wish Beaconsfield well for the next round as The Bears now get to focus on the plate competition where they will be targeting an appearance in the final.
Congratulations to Duke whom Beaconsfield named as MOTM
