Bradford & Bingley 34, Old Crossleyans 8

Bradford & Bingley thoroughly deserved the five points from their first home game of the SSE North One East season, and for much of the game looked different class.

However, Old Crossleyans were without five or six first-choice players, according to their coach, former Bees player Neil Spence, but for the first hour the hosts might possibly have been on top had Crossleyans fielded their starting 15 and their missing players.

The tone was set in the fourth minute as Richard Tafa burst through the visiting defence with three surges upfield, bumping blue shirts out of the way as he ploughed on.

He exchanged passes with Si Hill in the final ten metres and, with two defenders enjoying a piggy back, stretched for the line.

Richard Scull added the extras for 7-0 and, although Crossleyans managed to steady the ship, the home side crossed again in the 24th minute, superb hands across the field involving forwards and backs giving winger Adam Wellington the chance to beat three men and barge over in the corner.

Five minutes later, Crossleyans got on the scoresheet with a penalty, but it did not signal any change in their fortunes as the Bees continued to pour forward, sometimes engaging in 'champagne rugby'.

Not to be outdone by Tafa and Wellington, player-coach Stuart Dixon caught the final pass on 36 minutes to score to the left of the posts, Scull landing the conversion and, just before half-time, a penalty for 22-3.

It appeared that the second half would bring more than the three tries scored in the first and, still playing in cavalier fashion, replacement Luke Peacock scored under the posts.

However, their fast and loose style became increasingly untidy and, a man down due to a sin-binning, the Bees looked set to concede their first try until Wellington gathered a loose pass and galloped 90 metres to score at the other end.

As the clock wound down, the Bees had two men in the sin bin and Dixon off the field getting attention, which allowed Crossleyans to take advantage of their three spare men to score.