The Buffaloes rolled over Harrogate Hawks to win in a canter in the scorching heat.
Andy & Devon Johnson
In this friendly encounter, the Buffaloes’ young guns proved far too formidable for the Harrogate Hawks in the scorching heat. Despite the absence of some familiar faces, the Buffaloes fielded a strong, determined side that left no chance for Harrogate to secure a win. Notably, young Billy Elliker made his debut, following in the footsteps of his Uncle, Buffaloes legend John Elliker.
By the 5th minute, the Buffaloes had already scored their first try through a beautiful flowing move, with James Clark receiving the final pass to score wide out. Tom Jenkins successfully converted, bringing the score to 6 – 0.
Despite their early lead and pressing hard when they had the ball, the Buffaloes conceded unnecessary penalties the next ten minutes, forcing them into a defensive stance as the Hawks pushed hard to breach their try line. At one point, the Buffaloes had to make 24 consecutive tackles but managed to keep Harrogate at bay.
In the 20th minute, the Buffaloes regained their composure and took control. Ben Blanchard crossed from close range, extending the lead to 10 points, but the conversion was unfortunately missed. The score was 10 – 0.
In the 35th minute, the Buffaloes pushed towards the Hawks’ line with well-executed passes. The ball found the trustworthy hands of Ben Gaunt, who scored in the corner by the flag. This was expertly converted by Tom Jenkins, bringing the halftime score to 16-0.
Half Time score: Buffaloes 16 – 0
The first try of the second half came in the 50th minute, scored by Colin Cobley, who finished off an excellent flowing move. Although Tom Jenkins couldn’t convert, the scoreline moved to 20-0 in favour of the Buffaloes.
With the game seemingly in the bag, the Buffaloes made multiple substitutions, allowing Harrogate to gain momentum. The Hawks capitalised with two tries, one of which was converted, narrowing the score to 20 – 10.
However, the Buffaloes’ Ben Wilkinson, who claimed he had run 100s of metres and made 1000s of tackles in the blazing heat, sealed the victory. Supporting a 40-metre break, Wilkinson went in for the match’s final try, executing a perfect forward roll in the process! Tom Jenkins added the conversion, bringing the final score to 26 – 10 for the Buffaloes.
Full-time score: Buffaloes 26 -10
Overall, the Buffaloes’ second string performed well. They have impressed in their three games so far. Many players were in contention for the Man of the Match award, but Tom Jenkins received it for his all-around performance.
Buffaloes: 1) Liam Barnsley, 2) James Clark, 3) Zane Ballantine, 4) Ben Gaunt, 5) Ben Blanchard, 6) Tom Jenkins, 7) Lewis Johnson, 8) Krystian Drobek, 9) Colin Cobley, 10) Billy Butterworth, 11) Omar Aziz, 12) Ben Wilkinson, 13) Michael Wright, Subs (All Used) 14) Cameron McGill, 15) Sam Walding, 17) Bily Elliker.
Tries; Clark (5), Blanchard (20), Gaunt (35), Cobley (50), Wilkinson (80)
Goals; Jenkins x 3