Bradford & Bingley start and finish in hot form as Old Crossleyans are swamped

For the opening 20 and final 10 minutes of this derby, Bradford & Bingley played at a blistering pace, with forwards and backs handling superbly, running into space and moving the ball across every inch of the Crossleyans pitch.

The first quarter yielded four tries for the Wagon Lane outfit, while three more tries were added in the last ten minutes.

Outside those two periods, however, the Bees seemed to ease off for long periods, although credit is due to the home side who defended tenaciously and will have felt their endeavours, particularly on the counter-attack, should have been rewarded with more than the solitary try they acquired after half- time.

Indeed until Taylor Fiddes skipped inside the Crossleyans defence to score his fourth try in three games in the 70th minute, the home side were in fact winning the second half 7-3 and looked likely to add to that score as the home three-quarters showed that they can play a bit when they are given any time on the ball.

However, the visitors had already run in five tries at the other end of the field, so the game was always beyond Crossleyans, despite their improved showing in that long middle period.

The Bees looked capable of running up a cricket score as they tore into the Crossleyans early doors.

Lachlan Moore was leading the charge, either bashing straight through the home defence or timing his runs immaculately to find space out wide.

In the sixth minute, one such arcing burst to the left of the home defence put Moore clear and, as the final defender made his challenge, the ball was slipped away to the supporting Fiddes to dot down out to the left, Gerhard Nortier slotting a fine conversion and adding a penalty two minutes later.

No sooner had the Crossleyans defenders reset their lines than Moore was bursting through again, with Nortier and Fiddes haring after him.

The ball was whipped through the hands and Nick Gore was in at the left-hand corner.

Another score always looked likely as the Bees probed for an opening, but for a ten-minute period the home line stood firm.

Then, after another burst through the middle, this time from Adam Mitchell, the ball was fed to Ben Greaves, who scored under the posts.

Almost as soon as the game restarted, the score was improved to 27-0 with 20 minutes played when  Nortier was too quick and too strong for the defence as he galloped round the outside of the home three-quarters to dot down in the corner.

With that fourth try and the bonus point secured, the visitors seemed to immediately ease off, and it was fully 20 minutes before the fifth score arrived, Nortier again powering to the line, bringing the half- time score to 34-0.

A Chris Vine try, converted by Ryan Sweeney, got the home side on the scoreboard as the Bees were unable to add anything to their score despite long periods in the Crossleyans 22.

After the electric opening quarter, the Bees performance in the first 30 minutes of the second period was disappointing to say the least, but finally the visitors began to wake from their slumbers and there was suddenly some pace and some purpose to their game.

With outside centre Fiddes skipping through for a fine solo effort, it was the turn of a forward to impress with a burst to the line as Michael Crotch celebrated his birthday three days early by bursting through from 15 metres to hit the try line, with a couple of desparate home tacklers hanging on.

The Bees had possibly saved their best until last as, in a length-of-the-field counter-attack, the ball ended in the hands of Adam Mitchell, who cantered over with three minutes remaining.