Telford Raiders continued their decent start to the 2010 season with a battling performance, overcoming the heat, a number of absent senior players, and a nightmare start to the game to take the spoils against their much bigger counterparts from the second city.
The sun on Saturday was so debilitating that the game had to be split into four quarters to allow players the opportunity to take water on at regular intervals.
The team travelled to Birmingham with a large number of under-17’s being given the opportunity to put a marker down. The mental strength of these youngsters was tested when the game started in the worst possible way when Birmingham’s winger scooted around a missed tackle to go the length of the field to give the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead.
In the following set Birmingham’s powerful forwards drove back the Raiders defence making sixty yards in the first four tackles.
Birmingham looked to send a spiralling pass out wide only for inspirational half-back Jack Baker to take in the interception before racing the length of the field to touch down and level the game.
Hayden Strong, who shared the kicking duties with Hooker Liam Evans throughout the afternoon, calmly added the extras making it 6-6 with two minutes not yet played.
Baker’s effort seemed to steady Telford’s early nerves and was scrum-half Baker who again took advantage, stepping his way to the line to give Telford the lead.
Birmingham contributed to their problems when the following kick-off went out on the full giving Telford a tap on half-way.
Full-back Paul Szehofner skirted around the Bulldogs’ defenders before rounding his opposing number to make it 18-10.
Telford’s dominance in the first 20 minutes could not last and Birmingham responded through a powerful effort out wide when the Bulldogs winger ran over two Telford defenders to touch down.
The second and third quarters of the game belonged to Birmingham as they took advantage of a number of sloppy handling errors and a lack of focus to lay siege to the Raiders line which eventually cracked out wide when the Bulldogs touched down in the corner to make it 18-14.
Birmingham were unlucky not to go ahead when their prop crashed over under the sticks only to be adjudged to have been held up over the line despite protests.
Telford made the most of their good fortune when Denham Samuels went over out wide for his first senior try. Samuels, who came through the club’s junior ranks, has been quick to adapt to senior rugby and his score came at a crucial time for the Raiders.
The Bulldogs again they answered straight back with a powerful forward effort next to the posts, cutting the Raiders lead to 22-20 going into the final twenty minutes.
With the game balance don a knife edge it was crucial that the Raiders kept their composure and forwards Chris Tinsley, Chris Watson, and Pete Jones provided the groundwork for their young charges.
Centre Craig Guy who was the benefactor from the forwards’ hard graft when he went in for the try of the game following several passes, stretching over the line to touch down and gave Raiders a 28-20 lead.
Szehofner twice scored individual efforts to seal his hat-trick and make the game safe despite a defensive lapse by Telford which allowed a Birmingham forward to score in the corner untouched despite the presence of four defenders, making the final score 40 - 24. Telford’s Captain Paul Szehofner shared his thoughts following the final-whistle: “I don’t think the scoreline was a true reflection of how tight the game was, it was nip and tuck all the way and our forwards put in a brave effort against a powerful pack.
“To come here though and win with a team with so many young lads in it is really encouraging”.
The Raiders will be hoping that they can retain their momentum when they take on the Leamington Royals on June 5.