Caldy live up to entertaining reputation with 41-10 victory over Bradford & Bingley

Jan 28 2009 by Neil Macdonald, Birkenhead News

CALDY lived up to their entertaining reputation with an ultimately emphatic 41-10 victory over Bradford & Bingley.

The bonus point win was well deserved but hard-earned, as the burly Yorkshiremen showed how they overturned Macclesfield last week with some strong play.

The first half was dominated by tactical kicking, which led to Gavin Roberts – in natty white boots - opened the scoring for Caldy with a penalty on 10 minutes.

Bradford had clearly come to attack, but were getting little change out of Caldy’s swarming defence, and after half-an-hour, the home team got their reward.

Caldy hooker Neil Dowridge gathered a charged down kick at full speed to race an astonishing 60 yards for a try, Roberts converting.

Steve Brimacombe kicked a penalty for Bradford before another charge down led to a further Caldy score before the break.

Number eight Matt Lamming won the ball, before Ben Macpherson delayed his pass to perfection to send full back Mark Turner in at the corner to make it 15-3. Bradford’s hopes of another upset were blown away in the second half as the home team finally cut loose.

Scrum half John Broxson scored on 44 minutes, when he scooted around the blind side of a ruck after Caldy turned down a kickable penalty, Roberts again converting.

On 58 minutes, Bradford cleared their lines with a long kick downfield, only for full back Mark Turner to turn on the afterburner and beat two men running the ball back.

After he was held, Gavin Woods and Shaun Woof exchanged passes to put a delighted Dave Mercer in behind the posts. A minute later, Caldy’s Andrew Soutar showed great vision to chip over the tiring Bradford defenders, re-gather his own kick and loop a perfect pass to Roberts, who cruised in from 40 metres out for a wonderful try.

Josh Bates rounded off the scoring for Caldy by finishing off a rolling maul and although Daniel Sanders scored a well worked try for Bradford after the ball was moved wide, it was little consolation. Star Man: Neil Dowridge – accurate in the tight and dynamic in the loose, with a wonderful long-distance try.