Submitted by Bad Boy
Our women’s team outscored UBC 59-34 in a run-and-gun effort played in Vancouver yesterday. Bus driver Tom Woods reports that our team ‘scored lots of great tallies'. Katrina Sweeney led the JBAA onslaught with 3 tries, Kylie Good and Caelyn Huebner added a pair each while single score contributions came from Daryana Mielecka, Raelee Mulholland, Aislen MacKay and Sarina Brooks. Saffron Brooks and Allie Phillips each converted to round out the scoring for the convincing victory.
Our Premier Reserve squad kept their playoff hopes alive with an exciting win over the visiting Capilano squad from the North Shore of Vancouver. The visitors trailed JBAA from our first try till the end of the game with the Bays’ win never in doubt. Our first try resulted from a bollocking run by Mostyn Findlay, followed by an Isaac Gonevou kick which was scooped up by the sprinting Malik James allowing him to race in to score unopposed. A 5 metre belly flop by Chef bumped the score to 10-0 by the 10 minute mark. The Caps had the edge in forward play for much of the game and used a rolling maul to tighten the score at 10-5, five minutes later. A zig zagging run by Craig Doublename, along with his convert took the score to 17- 5 by the half.
The JBAA backs continued to run rampant during the second half with long runs by multiple players resulting in tries from Isaac, his brother Joeli Gonevou, veteran Nanyak Dala and Mark Yuen. A couple more Craig Mitchell-Hermann converts gave theBays a 43-19 lead with but 15 minutes left and time for some substitutions. The Caps gamely fought back with 2 late tries but their losing fate had already been sealed. Final score 43-24 for JBAA. Our boys need a win next week over UVic to proceed to the playoffs.
The Premier game was a very interesting and exciting match. The beginning of the encounter looked to be a horror show for JBAA fans as Capilano scored one minute into the game and then went on to run up a 28-0 lead using the wind and slope well, aided by some sketchy defence from the home team.
A nifty backline movement from Mostyn Findlay to Anton N’Gongo with an off load to Keegan Neary allowed the speedy winger to get the Bays on the board, finally, with 9 minutes to go in the half. Mike Nieuwenhuysen then orchestrated two quick JBAA tries, springing Keegan to score twice more, allowing the Bays to come back to trailing by a more respectable 17-28 deficit at the half.
With the wind and the slope favouring the crowd favourites, the JBAA flag flapped briskly in the breeze as the second half began. A successful penalty by Thomas Burton, followed quickly by a penalty try awarded after foul play by the visitors and the Bays crept to within one…27-28…and the game was on!
Eight minutes later sustained forwards pressure by JBAA allow Jack Macintosh to storm over for a try and the first lead of the game for the home team at 32-28. A counter-attack off a miss kick allowed the visitors to regain the lead at 32-35 with a converted tally. The never-say-die Bays responded with 10 minutes to go when Craig-Mitchell-Hermann, playing in his second match of the day, tallied for JBAA; the Burton convert gave the home team a 39-35 lead as the score see-sawed in JBAA’s direction. Alas, an apparent try by Anton disallowed, some squandered chances by the Navy Blue and a couple of late Caps tries saw our brave warriors on the losing end of a 39-49 scoreline.
All in all a disappointing score, but a very exciting spectacle.
Last regular home games next week against UVIC.