Buffaloes meet their match against a New Earswick side firmed up by Army recruits
Andy & Devon Johnson
On a cold afternoon, the Buffaloes found themselves short on numbers at the worst possible time as they had to face a New Earswick side bolstered by half a dozen battle-hardened lads who had just come out of five to six years of army service.
With most of the Buffaloes squad in their early twenties, it quickly became apparent that New Earswick had made serious off-season upgrades. Their new recruits brought size, discipline, and aggression—thriving in the physical exchanges and marching steadily toward the Buffaloes’ line.
The Buffaloes initially looked to have weathered the early storm, holding firm in their 20-metre zone. But their resistance was undone by what looked to be a dubious forward pass, leading to a converted try for New Earswick in the 6th minute.
Still, the Buffaloes were far from outclassed. Lewis Gaunt and Jacob Oldroyd were standouts in defence, halting anyone who dared come their way. Meanwhile, Keiran McFarlane turned the field with a couple of superb 50 and 60-metre touch-finders that kept New Earswick pinned back.
The Buffaloes came agonisingly close to scoring twice, only to be held up just short of the line. Each time, New Earswick turned defence into attack ruthlessly—moving the ball upfield to score two more converted tries before the break.
Half Time score: Buffaloes 0 – 18
The second half played out much like the first, with the Buffaloes battling bravely but ultimately being overwhelmed by a bigger, more powerful New Earswick side. They battled on admirably even after losing Charlie McMurray to a nasty injury, followed shortly after by Cameron McLachlan, who suffered a painful ankle injury in a tackle – two key players whose absence was sorely felt. Despite the setbacks and a lack of numbers, the Buffaloes never dropped their heads and kept competing right to the end.
Ben Wilkinson certainly made his presence felt—both in defence and with his trademark chatter—drawing plenty of attention from the New Earswick supporters. Despite the effort, the Buffaloes attacking force just couldn’t find a way past the opposition’s 20-metre line.
New Earswick continued to turn their dominance into points, crossing for three more tries—two of which were converted—extending their lead to 36-0.
The Buffaloes thought they had something to cheer about late on when Kieran Hudson looked to have scored a consolation try, only for it to be ruled out for failing to ground the ball. Frustratingly, photographic evidence showed the ball was indeed grounded—but it had landed right on the white dead-ball line. So, while technically a grounding, the decision to disallow it was ultimately the correct call.
Full-time score: Buffaloes 0 – 36
New Earswick: 1) Thomas Lancashire, 2) Ewen Coverdale, 3) Iain Oakley, 4) Peter Ritchie, 5) Dean Smith, 6) Conor Calam, 7) Liam Gargan, 8) Leo Hutchinson, 9) Connor Iddon, 10) Luke Morton, 11) Sean Malarkey, 12) Alex Wilkins, 13) Ben Gibson, Subs (All Used): 14) Joel Shaw, 15) James Leach, 16) Louie Telford, 17) Kieran Parker.
Buffaloes: 1) Kieran McFarlane, 2) James Clark, 3) Codey Downey, 4) Bailey Harman, 5) Kieran Hudson, 6) Ethan McFarlane, 7) Bradley Wilson, 8) Jacob Oldroyd, 9) Jack Boot, 10) Charlie McMurray, 11) Thomas Langton, 12) Cameron McLachlan ©, 13) Lewis Gaunt, Subs (All Used); 14) Ben Wilkinson, 16) Billy Butterworth
