Sat 13 Dec 2025
Old Crossleyans 1XV 29 – 34 Old Brodleians
Old Crossleyans were left frustrated but not empty-handed as they claimed two important bonus points in a fiercely contested Halifax derby against Old Brodleians at Broomfield.
Buoyed by last week’s impressive win over Moortown and close to full strength, the Crossleyans were keen to end a six-year wait for a derby victory. The Brodleians opened the scoring with an early penalty from near halfway, but the Crocs quickly settled. Strong carries from Callum Dunne and Brockson Brown earned a straightforward reply from James Johnson before alert play from Matthew Beswick saw him kick through a loose ball and slide over for the opening try.
The Brods responded by kicking to the corner and found space out wide to score. Turnovers from Jack Hammond and Jacob Pollard briefly stemmed the pressure, but Brods’ growing scrum dominance began to tell. A yellow card for Brown added to the challenge, and the Brods crossed again on the stroke of half-time to take a 20–10 lead into the break.
After the restart, Brods continued to control the set-piece and a converted breakaway try pushed them further ahead. Crocs needed a response and found one through their forwards, who carried hard into the Brods defence before Jacob Pollard stretched out to score, with George Banham providing the assist. Soon after, a strong tackle from Johnson forced an error, and quick ball from Sbulelo Roji allowed Pollard to crash over for his second.
Another Brods try late on extended the visitors’ lead, but the Crocs had the final say in the last play of the game. A series of pick-and-goes, with Boj Sembi prominent, ended with Dan Smith forcing his way over to secure a vital fourth-try bonus point, converted by Johnson.
A tough afternoon against a third-placed Brodleians side, with Crossleyans now turning their attention to a demanding trip to second-placed Pocklington.
