Sat 1 Mar 2025
Old Crossleyans 1XV 24 - 10 Bradford Salem
On the first day of meteorological spring, Old Crossleyans secured a crucial 24-10 home victory over Bradford Salem, marking their third home win of the season. This result was a stark contrast to the defeat they suffered in Bradford back in November, with the Crocs showing significant improvement against a very different Bradford Salem side.
For much of the first half, Old Crossleyans found themselves repeatedly conceding penalties, with their penalty count much higher than that of Bradford Salem. Despite this, the first points of the day came courtesy of Callum Dunne, who calmly slotted a 30-meter penalty on the 20-minute mark to give the Crocs an early lead.
The penalty count continued to mount against Old Crossleyans, and Bradford Salem capitalized on this to level the scores at 3-3. Things got even more challenging for the Crocs when they were briefly reduced to 13 men, as both Captain Tom Metcalfe and Sbulelo Roji were shown yellow cards. However, their resolute and disciplined defense held firm, keeping them in the game.
This defensive effort paved the way for the Crocs' first try of the day. Matthew Beswick pounced on a loose pass from Bradford Salem, and kicked the ball through for Joel Macfarlane, who collected it for a straightforward run-in. Callum Dunne added the conversion just before the halftime whistle, giving the Crocs a 10-3 lead going into the break.
Early in the second half, Bradford Salem responded with a try of their own. They worked their way down the field effectively, leveling the score at 10-10.
The Crocs' second try came after Bradford Salem cleared their lines from deep. A superb piece of fielding from Josh Hunt set up Callum Dunne in support. Quick ball recycling allowed Ellis Nuttall to break through Salem's defensive line and offload. The ball was then passed through several pairs of hands, eventually finding Sbulelo Roji, who finished off a brilliant team try with a well-taken converted score.
The Crocs continued to apply pressure, with both Dan Smith and Ellis Nuttall being held up over the Bradford Salem try line. Following a break from Chris Vine off a midfield scrum, Crocs fly-half Finn Sutcliffe made a clever offload to Matthew Beswick, who sprinted in for a well-deserved try, extending the lead to 24-10.
The four points will be a welcome boost for the Crocs, who now sit second from bottom in the table, just two points behind Doncaster Phoenix with three matches remaining.
