by Richard Turner
Resources were stretched at Woodhead on Saturday with Brods fielding their usual three teams however struggling with numbers due to unavailability of numerous players at all levels .
The Hipperholme club however not only fulfilled their fixtures with two sides travelling to York and Thornensians respectively but also producing three excellent victories in the process.

The first team were missing some key players including player coach Chris Georgiou and Michael Briggs who are both carrying injuries plus Alex Dawson who had work commitments. They were replaced with more products from the youth development programme , including debutant Conor Ryder on the bench , a young player who has returned to the club following a stint in the Guards plus Peter Ashton , Alex Hanson and Jasper Ayrton .
With further injuries to captain Bennie Pritchett and the experienced Kyle Millward during the first 15 minutes of the game Brods had to dig deep to continue their good form

The home side opened brightly and with their first attack of the game playing up the hill Rob Jennings picked up at the base of the scrum on the Dinnington 22 . The powerful number 8 who has been in great form this season proceeded to break several tackles on his way to the line to provide an easy conversion for Phil Town under the posts .

Dinnington responded well and their big pack took the game to Brods with some strong forward work at close quarters. Camping in the Brods 22 for a sustained period they earned a penalty which was duly converted 7-3 after seven minutes play. It was at this time that Millward had to leave the field with a knee injury to be replaced by the ever reliable Peter Williams . The visitors continued to press with their weighty forwards denying Brods possession at scrum time however the Hipperholme boy’s defence held with Ben Hoyle and Bob Sykes working effectively to maintain the defensive line. Brods were put under more pressure when Bennie Pritchett had to leave the field with a groin injury and Peter Ashton came on for him in the front row . To compound matter whilst defending the line Bob Sykes was penalised and received a yellow card for an infringement at a ruck just metres from the Brods line. Dinnington continued to press and from the penalty kick to the corner the visitors forward took their opportunity developing a rolling maul from the resulting line out to drive to the posts and cross the line to score. With the conversion taken Brods were behind 7-10 and coach Olly Akroyd looked for composure from his team and his team responded well. Brods driving at the lineout was at pace and the bigger Dinn forwards struggled to deal with the momentum Brods could create. Brods stuck to their task and prevented any further score from the visitors whilst taking their chances to pressurise Dinnington in their own half whenever possible .
Half time arrived with the score 7-10 . The visitors had a simple game plan and had taken advantage of the slope however considering the territory and amount of possession they had enjoyed the Brods supporters felt that the scoreline was reasonable and could be overcome with a more expansive game from the home side in the second half .

With the start of the second half Brods immediately showed their intent with strong ball carrying from Joe Kafatolu , Rob Jennings and Jasper Ayrton featuring. With the Woodhead boys in the Dinnington 22 Pete Williams almost made the line with a powerful drive to the posts . It took several defenders to stop him inches from the line however the big second row had attracted defenders out of position leaving space on the left so that when the ball was moved swiftly to the wing Jason Dodd was able to finish some good rugby with an excellent try. The try gave Brods the lead 12-5 but the conversion was wide.
The visitors were struggling with the pace of the Brods attack and Phil Town looked dangerous whenever he held the ball. After 10 minutes of the second half it was Town who broke the Dinnington line and with his pass to the supporting Jennings the visitors were clearly on the back foot . Jennings fended off defenders before providing the crucial pass to Dodd on the wing who had to make 15 metres to the line and his second touch down . The score line was 17-10 and Brods were now in full flow . It was that man again Town who was threatening the Dinnington defence on 20 minutes of the second half as he one more put his wingman in the clear and Jason Dodd completed his hat rick of tries whilst claiming the Brod’s fourth try scoring bonus point of the season . The crowd showed their appreciation of Towns efforts when he successfully converted this try from the touchline to provide the final score 24-10 . Despite a hat trick of tries for Jason Dodd and some excellent performances from Rob Jennings and Phil town it was Cameron Wroot who was awarded the man of the match award earned on the Back of an all action display in both defence and attack . Wroot’s defence in the first half and his strong ball carrying throughout the game was recognised by the team and supporters .

Crocs v Brods Preview

The Woodhead boys now look forward to their visit on Saturday to Standeven House where they will play local rivals Old Crossleyans in the next installment of local derbies in a very competitive Yorkshire league Division 1.
Brods remain top of the league with 24 points from 5 matches played and a 100% record , 2 points clear of second placed Beverley whom they beat in the first game of the season. Crocs are currently mid table with 12 points.
At this stage last season Crocs were enjoying a good start following their promotion and topping the table whilst Brods were in the chasing pack . A good game at Standeven ensued and the result was only decided late in the second half with Crocs winning 18 points to 13.
The Hipperholme boys will as always be keen to get the better of the oldest rivals especially away from home and will need no additional motivation for what has traditionally been the highlight of any season.
The Brods coaching team will no doubt be awaiting fitness checks on a host of players following numerous unavailabilities last weekend. The seconds and thirds are both looking for fixtures to maintain their momentum.