Birmingham Solihull 35 Doncaster Knights 29: Bees inflict league and cup double sting on Doncaster

IN a high-scoring and entertaining match, Birmingham & Solihull edged past Doncaster Knights at Damson Park in this league and British & Irish Cup double header.

The home side looked the more confident ball-in-hand and ran in four tries to the Knights' two, with winger Simon Hunt bagging a brace.

Birmingham started much the stronger and scored two neat tries inside 20 minutes.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The first came from a scrum on halfway, No 8 Adam Clayton got the ball to Mark Woodrow who found winger Hunt who ran in to score.

Ollie Grove grabbed the second after being put in by Rob Petty who evaded the tackle of Latu Makaafi.

Woodrow converted one and added a penalty in-between the scores.

Doncaster hit back and took the lead thanks to a well-worked try finished by Neil Cochrane and two Tristan Roberts penalties, but it was the home side that went into the break ahead thanks to a Woodrow penalty right on half-time.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Coming out for the second half, Roberts soon put his side back in front with a penalty.

The Bees hit back in the form of Tongan lock Semisi Taulava who crashed over from close range, Woodrow converting.

Then came a moment of magic as his opposite number Roberts broke from the line, intercepted the ball for an easy score which he converted.

Woodrow then put his side back in front with three more points.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The game turned on the hour when Taulava was sin binned for nothing more than handbags, but despite being a man down, the Bees scored their fourth try as Hunt collected Woodrow's crossdfield kick.

In the dying minutes Roberts bagged his fifth penalty to earn his side a losing bonus point.

Lynn Howells' side stay sixth after the defeat, 13 points clear of the relegation play-offs with five games remaining.

Birmingham & Solihull: Winter, Hunt, Connolly, Petty, Grove, Woodrow, Williams, Clayton, Denbee, Earnshaw, Wright, Taulava, Tau, Preece, Halavatua. Replacements: Long, Reid, Noonan, Griffiths, Brake, Robinson, Barkley.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Doncaster Knights: McColl, Wright, Briers, Gidlow, Williams, Roberts, Hallam, Jackson, Cochrane, Makaafi, Craig, Kenworthy, Cusack, Boden, Corsar. Replacements: Lawrie, Thiede, Challinor, Farivarz, Jones, Lewis-Pratt, Flockhart.