All Hands on Deck: Buccaneers Fall in Late Super League Thriller

Damian Burgess
Dec 22, 2025
2 min read

Under the lights in Bristol, the Buccaneers hoisted the black flag and went to battle, pushing St George’s Hill Knights all the way in a hard-fought Super League clash that was decided only in the dying embers of the night. With cutlasses swinging and neither side willing to yield, it ultimately took a tense deciding game for the visitors to escape the harbour with four points, despite a spirited Buccaneers performance from bow to stern.

The Knights struck first, with local favourite Charlie Lee setting the tone early. Lee produced a sharp and composed display to secure an 11-8, 11-7 victory over Buccaneers’ Jared Carter, giving the away side the early advantage.

The Buccaneers responded immediately through one of their exciting new summer recruits. Sam Osborne-Wylde brought his recent PSA Tour form straight onto the Super League stage, delivering a confident straight-games win over Will Salter in the U25s match. Osborne-Wylde’s 11-6, 11-9 success pulled the Buccaneers back onto level terms and reignited the home crowd.

Momentum remained finely balanced heading into the women’s encounter, where Tesni Murphy went toe to toe with World No.16 Jasmine Hutton in a gripping three-game battle. Murphy claimed the opening game, but Hutton edged two sudden-death tie-breaks in the second and third, saving match ball along the way, to narrowly tip the contest in the Knights’ favour after a dramatic 41-minute duel.

With the scores poised, the night came down to a winner-takes-all showdown between Mohamed ElShorbagy and Patrick Rooney. The Buccaneers’ talisman dug deep in a brutal encounter that stretched beyond 40 minutes, trading blows game by game in a contest worthy of its billing. Despite a huge effort from ElShorbagy, it was Rooney who edged the decisive third game 11-9, allowing the Knights to slip away with the overall win.

A narrow defeat on the scoreboard, but a statement of intent from the Buccaneers as they showed grit, depth and firepower in their opening home fixture before Christmas.

Results

Charlie Lee [SGK] bt Jared Carter [BB] 2-011-8, 11-7 (29m)

Sam Osborne-Wylde [BB] bt Will Salter [SGK] 2-011-6, 11-9 (33m)

Jasmine Hutton [SGK] bt Tesni Murphy [BB] 2-18-11, 11-10, 11-10 (41m)

Patrick Rooney [SGK] bt Mohamed ElShorbagy [BB] 2-111-8, 8-11, 11-9 (41m)