Initial attacking rugby from both sides tested each other’s defences and the first score came from a Harrogate counter attack from deep. Lewis Minikin made a telling break which was well supported by James Morland who scored in the corner. The Bees counter attacked from the restart with Steven Johns bursting through the midfield and passing to fellow centre Rob Connolly who beat the cover to score. Adam Canning’s conversion put the Bees 2 points ahead.

Another Bees score quickly followed. Despite a Harrogate clearance bouncing back in off a spectator, the referee allowed a quickly taken Bees line-out and space was created for winger David Evans to score another converted try. They went still further ahead from a Canning penalty after a Harrogate offside offence.

A period of Harrogate attacks followed and a try seemed certain from a Minikin chip into the goal area. However, Harrogate knocked on and Birmingham ran it out of defence only to be dispossessed. The ball was spun right for a Cam Leadley try converted from the touchline by Joe Rowntree. Harrogate then took the lead from an incisive Phil Wickham blind side break inside his 22. Morland’s pace enabled him to give support and he cut inside to beat the cover defence with a long diagonal run to score a converted try.

Birmingham quickly countered and regained the lead from a smartly taken Canning drop goal. This was soon extended by a penalty when Harrogate went offside and they then went still further ahead at the break from some individual Canning brilliance. In space, he dummied as if to go for another drop goal but then burst through the midfield to draw the remaining defender and pass to Johns for a converted try.

Harrogate went up a gear from the restart with power play from Jake Brady and Tom Harvey creating good ball for the backs. Kyle Dench made his midfield physical presence felt in attack and defence to open gaps in the visiting midfield. A Birmingham offside offence let Rowntree reduce their lead with a penalty and the Harrogate pressure continued. A series of driving mauls on the Bees line ended with a Willem Enslin converted try to make the score 29.30. The pressure continued with replacement back, Sam Bottomley well to the fore and Birmingham were reduced to 14 men when Johns was yellow carded for petulantly kicking the ball away after a penalty had been awarded. A quickly taken penalty was spun right for Bottomley to squeeze in for a try in the corner to put Harrogate 34-30 ahead towards the end of normal time.

Into injury time, a Harrogate clearance kick was charged down and the Bees quickly recycled the ball for Evans to score the winning try. Harrogate could have regained the lead in the lead In the last move of the match but Rowntree’s long range penalty attempt went narrowly wide.

Harrogate: Frost, Leadley, L Minikin, Dench, Morland, Rowntree, Wickham, Kirkley, Yorke, Reaveley, Brady, Dewsnip, Watson, Minikin, Coser. Replacements (all used):- Harvey, Boyde, Enslin, Bottomley, Aspinall.

Birmingham Solihull: Briggs, Evans, Johns, Connolly, Smith, Canning, Petty, Thorp, Crane, Dunne, Lee, Goddard, Gregg, Scriven, Ventner. Subs Crawford, Kettle, Dacres, Ding, O’Malley

Referee: Luis Caviglia (SE)

Match report by Bill Barrack