By Alexander Fynn
Bridlington’s woes on the road continued last Saturday as they suffered their fourth defeat, and second in a row against Baildon, losing agonisingly 47–46 despite leading comprehensively at half-time, 36–14.
The loss has dented the Dukes Park men’s hopes of lifting the title come April, and they will be looking for a response as they travel to West Yorkshire again to face Bradford & Bingley. The previous week ended in similar fashion, as a single point again separated the sides against Old Otliensians.
Bradford & Bingley come into the game on the back of a victory, having beaten Baildon 29–16, although they previously lost 53–22 to Huddersfield Laund Hill.
Bridlington’s hosts currently occupy fourth place in the table, with a similar run of form to the Blue and Golds.
As the season enters its closing stages, Sanderson’s side will be looking to rediscover form, with only four games remaining after this fixture. Next week, however, they return home to face more tough opposition in the shape of Roundhegians.
Callam Sanderson shared his thoughts ahead of Saturday’s clash:
“We’ve had a brilliant week of training, with big numbers down there, which has allowed us to have a really good session and tick off a lot of our quality work. We’re feeling optimistic on the back of two disappointing results, and the target for us is to get back to winning ways.”
“Baildon was a tough loss to take. We were so comfortable at half-time, only to lose narrowly at the end. Ultimately, we had a few injuries and some unavailabilities, and we only went with 16 players. When you only have one person on the bench, the lads get tired and holes start to appear in the defensive line. For the first time this season, we looked really up against it.”
“I always expect a battle from Bradford & Bingley. We’ve played them over the last five or six years, being in the same league quite often. They’ve got a generally abrasive forward pack and usually play their home turf really well. We’re expecting a massive battle, with them trying to get back into the top three.”
“We’re looking strong this week. We’ve got a few of our injured and unavailable players back. Joe Nellist returns from concussion, which is great, and he comes onto the bench. Jamie Martin is back from injury and comes into the back row, and Oliver Stephenson also returns this week.”
