First win of season again eludes YMCA
GARY Ballance is backing West Indies Test opener Kraigg Brathwaite to shine during his short spell with Yorkshire.
Brathwaite has signed on for the final two Specsavers County Championship matches of the summer, starting against bottom side Warwickshire at Headingley next Tuesday.
The 24-year-old will replace Shaun Marsh, who plays against Surrey at the Oval today before returning home to Perth to prepare for Australia’s domestic summer.
White Rose captain Ballance knows all about Brathwaite as he played against him in the drawn three-match Test series in the Caribbean at the start of 2015 when Brathwaite scored a second-innings century in the second Test, which the hosts lost.
And he watched the righthander score 134 and 95 in the lead when stand off Dale Breakwell kicked to left wing Mark Calderwood, and he found supporting Keir Breakwell who scored wide out – Dale Breakwell converted to give the home team the lead 10–6.
Under pressure YMCA conceded penalties allowing Breakwell to increase the home side’s advantage with two further goals.
The visitors did manage to reduce the arrears with a Stead penalty, but straight from the restart YMCA failed to find touch with a kick and home full-back Keir Breakwell outpaced the cover to go in at the posts for an excellent individual try – Dale Breakwell converted to make the score 23-9.
On 35 minutes YMCA thought they had reduced the arrears when the YM shunted the home eight over the line for Bell to touch down, but the referee awarded a penalty instead of a try.
YMCA chose to scrum again but the West Indies’ win over England at Headingley at the end of last month.
“Kraigg’s a good player, a gutsy player,” said Ballance.
“I think that will be good for us, especially in conditions here.
“He will put a massive price on his wicket. The this time ran the ball and, when home scrum half Stokes was yellowcarded for not releasing in the tackle, the visitors should have scored but the home defence managed to scramble the ball away.
On half-time YMCA scrum half Bradley was forced to leave the field when he was felled off the ball as play progressed.
The referee, who had not seen the offence, awarded West Leeds another penalty which Breakwell knocked over to lead 26-9 at half-time.
YMCA exerted some pressure through the forwards in the second half and second row Ed Black bulldozed his way over for a try, Stead converted to give the YMCA a foothold.
It was against the run of play that West Leeds went further ahead as YMCA lost the ball at a scrum on their own feed and wing Calderwood cut inside the cover to score, Breakwell again adding the extras. bowler will have to get him out.
“It’s just been one of those years for us where a few lads have been out of form. .
“When we bat well as a unit, we can put scores on the board. Hopefully that will give us confidence for the rest of the season.”
Calderwood was then penalised for a high challenge on Thomas Clough and the incident resulted in both men seeing yellow and given 10 minutes to cool off.
From the resulting penalty YMCA had a lineout on the home five-metre line and a catch and drive put Ben Hill in to touch down – Stead converted.
Clough then raced through before feeding the supporting Stead who crashed over in the corner, but the scorer was unable to add the extras.
West Leeds had the final say as first Breakwell kicked a penalty and then, with the last play of the game, a YMCA penalty kick failed to find touch and West Leeds took full advantage by running the ball back and releasing wing Danny Booth who scored in the corner – Breakwell failed with his conversion attempt.