Greens play their part in one of best finals

2:50pm Thursday 1st May 2008

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Doncaster 24 Wharfedale 17

Yorkshire president Gordon Brown was well aware that he was supposed to remain neutral after witnessing what he called one of the finest Yorkshire Cup finals in years'.

However, just before he handed over the cup into the possession of Doncaster for another year, Wharfedale's match-day programme editor just couldn't help himself.

He praised underdogs Wharfedale for a superb display - and why not?

They led 17-0 deep into the first-half and were not behind until the 74th minute of a match that was played on a quagmire of a pitch at Claro Road, with plenty of standing water by the barriers on the clubhouse side.

Helped by a plethora of penalties in their favour, the Dalesmen went ahead after they kicked one penalty to touch to set up a rolling maul from the subsequent line-out.

Second row Dave Lister got the touchdown, Andy Baggett converting, and scrum-half James Doherty made it 12-0 by scoring a try following his own quick tapped penalty when Doncaster were off-side.

Mark Bedworth's try came after a move down the line but 17-0 should have been 19-0 if another of those tries had been converted, as it should have been.

The final minutes of the first-half belonged to Doncaster but flanker Andrew Wilson spurned a decent chance by hanging on to the ball and being wrapped up after a breakaway.

It was his last action of the match as he went off injured but the Knights still struck a critical blow with a late penalty try which was converted by Cerith Rees to pull the half-time deficit back to a more manageable ten points.

As often happens, the penalty count was heavily the other way in the second-half, and Doncaster found a momentum that was difficult to withstand.

Centre Tom Luke got on the end of a pushover effort in the 47th minute, and from then on the Greens were hanging on, despite introducing fresh legs and clean shirts in the shape of Oliver Renton (55th minute), who went into the second row, and Simon Horsfall (63rd minute).

Horsfall went on to the right wing and had only been on the pitch for three minutes when a chance presented itself.

He caught a cross-kick and went inside his first man. However, instead of then accelerating for the corner, Horsfall continued to go inside and was held up over the Doncaster line.

It was another turning point. Three minutes later, Doncaster were camped on the Wharfedale line only to knock on.

With the Knights laying siege to the Dalesmen's try-line, it only seemed a matter of time before it was breached.

Incessant pressure told in the 74th minute with a try to Lynn Griffiths but only after the intervention of a touch judge, Rees' superb conversion putting the south Yorkshiremen ahead 19-17 - the first time they had led.

On came Joel Gill and Dave Clements but still the tide was flowing one way, and American international Luke Gross went over in the 79th minute to seal Doncaster's victory against tremendously spirited opponents.