Bristol Weekend Sports Roundup: 21-23 October 2016
Posted on: 24 Oct 2016Three wins and a loss for our Bristol sports teams this weekend. Great entertainment on offer and a debut in this feature for Bristol Ladies Rugby, who defeated the reigning champions at their own ground!
Bristol City 1 – 0 Blackburn Rovers
A late strike from veteran Aaron Wilbraham saw the Robins get back to winning ways at the expense of Blackburn Rovers after a run of two defeats. The game served as a tribute to the late Gerry Gow, with fans paying respects before kick off before standing in the 64th minute to pay tribute to the club legend.
As for the action on the field, it was a frustrating afternoon for both teams. The visitors had the better of the chances in the first half but ultimately couldn’t capitalise. City rallied after the break and yet again it was Johnson’s substitutes that made the difference - Aaron Wilbraham breaking on a lone counter attack and driving low into the net with the help of a deflection.
Next up for City are Premier League side Hull City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday 26th October – Ticket prices for this are greatly reduced and more info is available here.
Oldham Athletic 0 – 2 Bristol Rovers
Another good result for Rovers which means they’ve lost just once in the last 11 games, 10 of which were in the league. An impressive feat for the newly promoted side.
Charlie Colkett capped a good start from the visitors by driving home from 16 yards after a poor corner clearance. The rest of the half was tough for the home side as a relentless Rovers attack dominated. The second half was more evenly balanced, though the Rovers net was rarely troubled and Roos was in great form between the sticks when called upon. The game was eventually put out of sight in the 87th minute when Jake Clarke-Salter nodded home from 6 yards. 2 goals by two on-loan Chelsea players!
The Gas welcome Peterborough to the Mem this Saturday 29th October – more info here.
Bristol Flyers 70 – 80 Leicester Riders
Friday night wasn’t the start to the weekend Flyers fans were looking for. The team ultimately fell to the undefeated Leicester Riders after a close-fought contest.
Hameed Ali scored 18 points and added a further 6 assists but it wasn’t enough for the Flyers to overcome a superb Riders team. Their winning streak stretches back to last season and now stands at 7. Bristol knew they were in for a tough day after the visitors opened up a double-digit lead early on thanks to some great 3-point shooting. The home team fought back and ended the first quarter trailing by 5 at 15-20. In the second quarter, Leicester again looked to their 3 point game and again it was successful. However, the Bristol defense tightened and the offense started to click. This resulted in a 37-35 lead at the half.
The third began at a furious pace but it was Leicester who capitalised. Despite some good play from Flyers they were overrun and entered the fourth trailing 51-66. Ultimately, the lead would prove unassailable and, despite a brave fightback from the Bristol team – cutting the lead to 7 at one point – the undefeated visitors were just too strong on the day.
The nest home game is actually against the same opponent on 5th November – more info here.
Richmond Women 27 – 33 Bristol Ladies
After a scrappy opening, Bristol Ladies secured an impressive win against reigning champions Worcester in their own back yard.
A run of 3 yellow cards – 1 for Richmond and 2 for Bristol – meant the game took a while to get going as both teams readjusted. During that period, prop Sarah Bern scored a superb try taking the ball from halfway and touching down under the posts, which Claire Molloy duly converted. Soon Richmond capitalised on the mismatch in numbers and ran in 3 tries of their own. Luckily for Bristol, none were converted and the half ended 15-7 to the hosts.
The second half was all Bristol until the closing stages. Tries from Taz Bricknell, Claire Molloy, debutante Rownita Marston and a second from Bern meant Bristol were comfortable at 15-33 with 20 minutes to go. Or so they thought. A try under the posts with 10 minutes to go, combined with a silly yellow card, made things tough for the visitors. After a period of sustained pressure, a try in the corner after a driving maul brought the scores to 27-33. For the second week in a row, however, Bristol Ladies hung on in the final moments to claim a huge victory.
Next up for Bristol Ladies is the visit of Saracens Women on Sunday October 30th at Cleve RFC – more info here.
Bristol Rugby did not play this weekend and will wait until Saturday 30th to take on Sale Sharks in the Premiership at Ashton Gate - more info here.
Article by:
Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.
