Hullensians 29 Bradford Salem 5

Bradford Salem’s five-match winning streak came to an end against a committed Hullensians side.

The Heaton outfit were forced into making seven changes, due to injuries and unavailability, from the side which had won 62-16 against Moortown the previous week.

Hullensians were soon 10-0 up before Salem had a chance to reduce the arrears but fly half Andy Robinson fluffed a simple penalty attempt. However, he soon made amends when his excellent break from the restart sent inside centre Carl Walker on a mazy run and, after good recycled ball from the breakdown, Robinson crossed in the corner.

The former Wibsey Warriors rugby league star was unable to land the difficullt conversion and there were signs that he had left his kicking boots behind when he missed a further penalty attempt.

The Hullensian’s marksman on the other hand was on top form and a long-range penalty gave the home side a 13-5 advantage at the break.

Things got worse for Salem when the normally-reliable Simon Davies dropped the ball from the restart and from the breakdown they conceded another penalty to go behind 16-5. The Hull side then kicked a further penalty and, with the scoreline at 19-5, Salem had a mountain to climb.

Although the Heaton outfit had opportunities to get back into the game, poor execution and impatience lead to these chances being squandered.

In the final quarter, the home side seemed to grow in confidence, and, but for some last-ditch scrambling defence from full back Danny Thomas, they could have a run away with the game. Nevertheless, in spite of Thomas’ efforts, Hullensians still managed to score a further two tries to put a dent in Salem’s promotion hopes.