The top of the table clash promised to be an outstanding game of Rugby League between two well match sides both with five wins from five, and the home faithful were looking forward to seeing Bramley legends, Steve Suddards, and Shaun Flynn in action.The crowd of 200 were not let down as both sides gave their all in a game that could have gone either way until the final whistle.
The first half was light on points but high on action with the visitors testing and probing the Buffaloes defence from the off. The Buffaloes were guilty of some sloppy mistakes with the ball in hand, and the whistle-happy referee gave Sedbergh the advantage, with some sustained pressure on the home side’s goal line. In the Sixth-minute Odsal’s man of the match Kain McEwen, slipped between some slack Bramley defence for the opening score of the afternoon, giving the away team the lead 0-4.
Odsal kept attacking the Bramley line until the 26th minute when the Buffaloes had their first attack of the game, with a fine run down the wing. Three minutes later the Buffaloes opened their account, when the home team’s man of the match Jack Sykes, went on a jinxing run across the field, to score out wide, with Connor McGill adding the conversion, to give the Buffaloes the lead 6-4.
The remainder of the first half was end to end with both sides trying to find a weakness in the respective defensive lines. Making the half time score 6-4 to the Buffaloes.
The Second half was the opposite of the first with the Buffaloes straight on the attack with the coaches words ringing in their ears. Following the first set, McGill put a high bomb up towards the Odsal winger, who fumbled the ball and Joe Mathers was straight in to collect the ball and rush over the line for the opening score in the second half, giving the Buffaloes the lead 10 points to 4.
Four minutes in, Odsal were on the attack following a dropped ball in the Buffs half. Probing the line on either side of the posts, before, Shaquille Jones burrowed over from the dummy half through the despairing Buffaloes defence, the referee looked and looked some more before giving Jones the benefit of the doubt and awarding the try under the posts. Ex Bramley legend, Steve Suddards added the extras to level the scores at ten all.
in the 48th minute, the Buffaloes regained the lead, when Arron Henry finished off a flowing move, with the ball being passed from player to player, with McGill adding the Conversion, making the score 16-10.
Three minutes later Odsal were in again when winger Callum McMahon raced away from the Bramley defence, for an unconverted try, narrowing the lead to 16-14.
In the 58th minute, following a Buffaloes kick, Mathers tackled his opposing winger, when Odsal centre John Adams came in all guns blazing punching Mathers for seemingly nothing. Buffaloes Captain Tom Langton dashed over to help his colleague out and ended up on the wrong end of another strange decision from the referee and was sent to the sin-bin. Odsal were awarded the penalty from the offence.
Four minutes later Odsal capitalised on the Buffaloes being a man short in defence, when centre Luke Dawson raced away from the floundering defence to score near the posts, with Suddards converting, to give Odsal the lead 16-20.
Fourteen minutes after being dispatched to the sin bin, Langton was finally allowed back onto the field. The Bramley coach was trying to attract the referee’s attention from the time the allotted ten minutes was up, but the referee wasn’t interested.
Within a minute of Langton’s return, Mathers scorched down the wing for his second try of the afternoon, with McGill converting, putting the Buffaloes back in the lead, 22 points to 20.
In the 76th Minute, Odsal Hooker Jones was in for his second of the game, with Suddards again on target with the boot adding the conversion, giving Odsal the lead again, 22 points to 26.
The Buffaloes went on the attack looking for the killer blow to put them back in front. With the end of the game looming. But despite three sets of six on the Odsal line, some poor options from the attack and some outstanding defence kept the Buffaloes out, meaning that the spoils went back to Bradford with Odsal, and the Buffaloes unbeaten run came to an end.
The game lived up to its billing as a top of the table clash, with both sides giving their all in the toughest game of the year so far. Despite the seemingly bizarre refereeing decisions, Odsal deserved the win and their top of the table rank.
The Buffaloes travel next to Mirfield on the 9th July.
Buffaloes: 1) Aaron Henry, 2) Joe Mathers, 3) Jack Young, 4) Kieran Hudson, 5) Thomas Scorgie, 6) Connor McGill, 7) Jack Sykes, 15) Tim McRae, 9) Cameron McLachlan, 10) Dave Jennings, 11) Tom Langton, 12) Alex Coop, 13) Sam Wilson, Subs (all used); 14) Connor Handley, 15) Dan Barayni, 19) Ross Perl, 17) Al Harker
Tries: Sykes (28), Mathers (41, 73), Henry (48)
Goals: McGill (3 from 4)
Sedbergh: 1) Sam Greenwood, 2) Callum McMahon, 3) John Adams, 4) Luke Dawson, 5) Sam Hall, 6) Scott Smith, 7) Steve Suddards, 8) Dan Brown, 9) Shaquille Jones, 10) Imran Khan, 11) Josh Briggs, 12) Adam Jones, 13) Kain McEwen, Subs (all used); 14) James Sharp, 15)Josh Tordoff, 16) Robert Booth, 20) Kyle Terry
Tries: McEwen (6), Jones (44, 76), McMahon (51), Dawson (62)
Goals: Suddards (3 from 5)
Men of the Match
Buffaloes – Jack Sykes
Sedbergh – Kain McEwen