The Bears defence held firm for the first 17 minutes but it was an attacking kick that broke the deadlock as Oldham centre Sam Gee collected a Lewis Palfrey cross field kick to score wide on the left. The try was not converted but the Roughyeds were off to a start at 4-0.

Soon after this the Bears were under pressure once more and after giving a penalty away on the 5th tackle, for a late shoulder charge, Oldham had pressure on the line and Jarrod Ward scored a try out wide. Again the try was not converted but it was 8-0.

On the half hour mark, some strong runs and skilled footwork generated quick ball play where Oldham centre George Tyson took charge of the ball, wide, and stepped inside the covering defence. The try was converted by Palfrey to take it to 14-0.

Two more trys were scored by Oldham before halftime as Liam Thompson and Michael Ward both went over as the Oldham pack dominated the middle of the park. Palfrey converted to take the score to 26-0 at halftime.

Halftime score: Oldham Roughyeds 26 Coventry Bears 0

The second half kicked off with the Bears determined to get back into the game and it was Matt Cooper who powered over under the posts through a number of defenders to score. The try was converted by Stephen Coleman and the Bears were on the scoreboard.

But the Roughyeds were not finished and after 3 repeat sets in the Bears half, a strong Bears defence was cracked by a wide shift play which lead to a try in the corner by Adam Clay to take the score to 30-6. Try was not converted.

With 13 minutes now gone in the second half, Mick Learmonth scored after a Lewis Palfery chip kick which caught out the Bears cover defence taking the score to 36-6.

The Bears then kicked the ball out on the full and from the resulting set Oldham build pressure well and after defending 3 intense back to back sets and giving away another penalty, Jack Holmes scored on the right but was not converted. 40-6.

Unfortunately for the Bears another mistake at kick off led to Oldham running hard up the middle and after a quick shift wide to the right Oldham winger Adam Clay scored rounding off an impressive display from the Roughyeds. Lewis Palfery kicked the conversion to round off a man of the match performance.

Fulltime score: Oldham Roughyeds 46 Coventry Bears 6

Bears Billy Sheen in action. (by David Murgatroyd)

Bears Man of the match was named as Matt Cooper for his strong ball carrying and scoring the Bears only try.

Coventry Bears Head Coach Tom Tsang commented:

I thought similar to last week we went for long periods where we matched Oldham set for set, but any little mistake we made they made us pay. They have a very strong pack who all know their role very well. I’m disappointed though as we didn’t help ourselves with our discipline and although Oldham deserved the win, at times we made it easy for them with sloppy unforced errors. We now have a few weeks off before the start of the league so will be working hard to make sure we learn from the last two games against a very good side.

Bears team:

1. Billy Sheen 2. Troy Brophy 3. Stephen Coleman 4. Edward Medforth 5. Jamahl Hunte 6. Dan Poulton 7.Simon Phillips 8.James Geurtjens 9.Alex Brown 10.John Aldred 11.Liam Thompson 12.Chris Barratt 13.Alex Calvert 14. Ben Tyers 15. Matt Cooper 16. Nick Taylor

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

Digg

StumbleUpon

Bears Managing Director and Head Coach, Alan Robinson and Tom Tsang, with Bradford bulls Managing Director and Head Coach,Steve Ferres and James Lowes

BRADFORD BULLS are delighted to announce the launch of a partnership with the UK’s newest professional side Coventry Bears.

The agreement will allow members of James Lowes’ squad to appear for the Kingstone Press League One outfit throughout the course of 2015 via dual-registration.

And the two clubs are to work together on a commercial basis, with Bulls officials aiding the Midlands outfit’s development following their arrival in rugby league’s professional ranks.

Founded in 1998, the Bears, who play out of Butts Park Arena, were crowned RLC Western Division champions in 2000 and have since gone on to claim a host of other awards.

Coventry were granted permission to join the National Conference League two years ago and last summer were told they would be competing in the sport’s third tier in 2015.

Bulls managing director Steve Ferres said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the Bears for the coming season.

“These are exciting times for both clubs and we want to help Coventry adapt to  life outside of the community  game.

“The club has been working extremely hard during the past two seasons, both commercially and in terms of recruitment, and we will aid that in any way we can.

“They will have access to some of our players, which will prove mutually beneficial, and we look forward to seeing how the partnership develops.”

“It has been fantastic for us to strike up a relationship with the Bulls, a club I have admired for many years,” added Ferres’ Bears opposite Alan Robinson.

“I have begun to develop a great relationship with both Steve Ferres and Marc Green off the field while Tom Tsang, our head coach, has been working with James Lowes on it.

“There is already great synergy between our clubs. This is not only a dual-registration partnership but a business one also.

“We hope to take every opportunity to grow and build our club alongside the Bulls.

“This is a new era for rugby league and I feel this sort of opportunity is a milestone in our club’s development in the sport.”

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

Digg

StumbleUpon

Coventry Bears launch exciting online partnership with The Rugby Banter Page.

The Rugby Banter Page are pleased to announce a new exclusive partnership with The Coventry Bears Rugby League ahead of the clubs debut in the Kingstone Press League One.

The Rugby Banter Page will become the clubs’ marketing partner and the first major partnership for the Bears since they entered the professional ranks just two divisions below the First Utility Super League.

With a following of over 270,000 on Facebook, The Rugby Banter Page has a monthly reach of over 2,500,000 making it an ideal partner to work with to grow the clubs online reach and expose the Bears brand to new supporters and business partners.

As part of the deal the Rugby Banter Page will be featured on back of the clubs home and away kits for the 2015 season.

Speaking on the announcement Coventry Bears Managing Director Alan Robinson remarked “This is a great start to the new year for the club. We are proud to have the Rugby Banter Page on board as a partner for such a big season for the club. We hope that this will be the first of a number of partnerships which will help the club progress.”

“They are the ideal partner for a new professional club such as us to seek new business and sponsorship partners while growing our own fan base.”

Rugby Banter Page General Manager Paul Bolger added “The Rugby Banter Page are delighted to become partners of the Coventry Bears for their debut in the new Kingstone Press League One division. We are happy to be a part of this new journey for the club and we look forward to working on helping the Bears Prosper in 2015”.

Robinson continued “We are still currently seeking a main sponsor for the Bears and hope to utilize Rugby Banters huge online reach to help us find a forward thinking business to join us and benefit from this relationship. We have a lot to offer being the only professional Rugby League club in the Midlands of the UK bridging the Rugby League gap between the north and south of the country.”

The Bears will kick off their League One campaign with a home fixture on Good Friday (3^rd April) against Oxford Rugby League.

However, before then the team will face a Home pre-season friendly with Hemel Stags on February 14th at Butts Park Arena followed by a League One Cup first round away tie against Oldham Roughyeds.

RBP will be posting monthly updates on the bears, keeping you up to date with all their latest results and upcoming fixtures.

For more general information on the Bears please visit: www.coventrybears.com

Any business interested in exploring a partnership or sponsorship with Coventry Bears can contact us through the commercial section of our website.

 GO GIVE THEM A LIKE ON FACEBOOK! (click here) 

Del.icio.us

Facebook

TweetThis

Digg

StumbleUpon