North One East: Bradford & Bingley 24 Morpeth 15

THIS clash was preceded by a veterans' game, but the side that Bradford & Bingley put out for that was depleted because seven of them were in Martin Whitcombe's squad of 18 for the first-team game!

 Yet again Whitcombe was forced to make eight changes to his squad compared to that which faced Alnwick the previous week, but no matter who pulls on a Bees shirt this season, the team have generally been good.

Andy Smith became the 37th player fielded by Bradford & Bingley this term when he came off the bench but the much-changed line-up were by far the better side and thoroughly deserved their 24-point half-time lead.

It was certainly a "game of two halves", however,  as the dominant hosts from the first period bore no resemblance to the off-colour side which played out the second period.

The pace of the game took its toll on at least one of the Bees' older players as 38-year-old Phil Greaves asked to be replaced after 55 minutes because he could no longer walk!

By contrast, Morpeth looked like a side who had just met in the bar in the first half but put together some excellent moves after half-time and must have thought they were in with a chance of claiming victory when they collected a third try with 20 minutes to play, following on from scores in the 53rd and 55th minutes.

Bradford & Bingley started the game in high gear and were consistently on top for the opening half.

It took 39 seconds for the first score to arrive as the ball was shipped from right to left and ended up in the hands of Schalk Oosthuizen on the Morpeth 22.

The big centre pinned his ears back and charged at the line and, despite the attentions of a couple of Morpeth defenders hanging on to his shirt, he rolled over the whitewash for the try.

After adding the conversion, Oosthuizen was soon forced to leave the field, however, after over-stretching his hamstring.

The loss of their leading points scorer did not slow the Bees though, and on 15 minutes hooker Masui Akauola was able to burgle a score to the left of the posts.

Adam Mitchell took over kicking duties and belted the conversion against the post, and repeated the trick 11 minutes later as his conversion bounced off the other post after Brett Mitchell had burrowed under the Morpeth defence, having driven off the back of a scrum.

Leading 17-0 after 26 minutes, the pressure was maintained and, just before half-time, Bradford & Bingley's man of the match Akauola was over the whitewash after taking the ball off a line-out.

After the game a delighted Whitcombe said: "That win puts us right back in it. We are five points off the top of the table and we play first and second in the league in our next two games.

"Pocklington now look like the form side in the division and it will be tough over there on January 7, but with nearly three weeks off, we have a chance to get everybody back fit and available and I hope we can take our strongest squad over there.

"We have now only lost once in eight games, so they will also be worried about us. The lads were excellent after we had to pull together a squad yet again due to injuries. With everyone available to us, we should take some stopping."