Bees pack digs in to tame Lions (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Bees pack digs in to tame Lions

6:54pm Sunday 4th October 2009 in Sport By Nick Patterson

Bradford & Bingley 30, Leicester Lions 22

The Bees registered their first win of the season with a superb display founded on sheer guts and determination not to let the visitors in their 22 after the break.

The game was played in a swirling gale which suggested that the side who had the wind at their backs first would probably need a two or three score advantage to defend in the second half.

The Wagon Lane hosts had it but only led 25-14 at the interval and it appeared they had left the back door open for the Lions to claim victory.

However, the home side belied their lowly league position to stand firm against the conditions and their opposition.

The Lions charge was led by the dancing green boots of skipper Gareth Collins but for all his dipping and darting, the real story was up front where the Bees pack were dominant.

Skipper Ryan Wederall led his men from the front and burrowed over from nearly a foot from the line in the 75th minute to secure the victory. Wederall now has three tries from five games this season.

His sheer will to get over the opposition whitewash after the Lions defence had held firm was immense. All of the Wagon Lane crowd were with the big man as he heaved over the line.

However, it was far from a one-man show as his colleagues in the trenches were all excellent and four or five players could have claimed the man-of-the-match award.

The Bees back row of Billy Graham, Tom Cokell and Guy Ford may appear to be undersized but were never bettered.

Wederall’s colleagues up front, Joe McArthur and James Whitfield, dominated their opposite numbers throughout.

The coaching of former Bees and Yorkshire front row man Ronnie Kelly is clearly paying dividends for the big men up front.

Bradford & Bingley’s other try-scorers were Rob Almond, Tom Davidson, who also notched two conversions and two penalties, and Tom Gough.

The Bees are not out of the mire yet but there are many positives to take to Fylde this week.