Hull Ionians 32 Blackheath 21

What a difference a week can make. 

Against Coventry the previous week, Blackheath could do little wrong, their slick handling and organisation enabling them to slice open the league-leaders almost at will.

At Brantingham Park, on this cold January afternoon, almost nothing would stick, denying them possession and ultimately giving way to frustration and the concession of needless penalties that saw their downfall.

They had a gift of a start too, as Jake Lloyd snatched a pass being fired along the Ionians’ back line to sprint away for a 7-0 lead.  However, Geoff Griffiths’ attempt to pull the ball towards him close to the Club goal-line resulted in it being swatted forward and directly in to touch, and with Blackheath temporarily reduced in number, Hull had the space to launch a move down the right flank, wing Sam Wilson cutting inside and off-loading to centre Joe Allott for a fine try to level the score on ten minutes.

Markus Burcham’s neat pass following line-out ball sent Harry Bate on an arcing 50-metre run to the goal-line at the end of the opening quarter, but sandwiching the try were two well-struck penalties from Ionians’ fly-half Greg Lound to leave the Yorkshiremen only a single point in arrears.

Handling errors meant neither side had been able to mount a period of sustained pressure, but Hull had probed to better effect, and as half-time approached, a line-out opportunity saw open-side James Sanderson crash over out wide for a deserved 18-14 advantage for the hosts.

Blackheath produced their best moment of match at the re-start as Joe Tarrant dummied and squirmed through the defensive line to release Leo Fielding (now back on the wing) for the Club’s third try, and just for a moment there was hope that the visitors had rekindled the previous week’s form.

However, with a growing ascendancy at the set-piece, and Blackheath’s increasing penalty count, it was Hull who gained the better foothold, and on 72 minutes  line-out ball saw play moved out wide for outside-centre James Tincknell to crash over, Lound adding the conversion for a 25-21 lead.

A further penalty in the dying stages was well within the Ionians’ fly-half’s range, but the hosts opted for the line-out from which Wilson rounded the defence for a fourth try, ensuring the Yorkshiremen’s first victory since November, as well as a valuable five points in their efforts to move clear of the National League One relegation zone.

Next Saturday Blackheath return to Well Hall to take on Birmingham Moseley.  Kick-off is at 3.00 pm.

Hull Ionians

Tries:   Allott, Sanderson, Tincknell, Wilson

Conv:  Lound 3

Pens:    Lound 2

Blackheath

Tries:   Lloyd, Bate, Fielding

Cons:   Tarrant 3