WHARFEDALE have been dealt a cruel blow with the news that Rob Baldwin will miss the rest of the season.

The powerful No8 damaged both the medial and anterior cruciate ligaments in his left knee during Saturday's 21-9 SSE National League One home defeat by Ealing Trailfinders.

But fears that scrum half James Doherty would be sidelined after receiving the first red card of his career in the same game, were allayed when an RFU Disciplinary Panel rescinded the sending off after a hearing at Brighouse.

It means that Doherty is now free to play in Saturday's game at Coventry which gives Wharfedale the option of allowing Phil Woodhead to recover from the arm injury he received playing for the England Development Sevens team in Kenya.

Wharfedale coach Jon Feeley was stunned when Doherty received his marching orders. He said: “Players make contact with each other’s faces at every ruck and maul in rugby, and James has never received even a yellow card before, either at junior or senior level.

“The first time that he knew he had been sent off was when he saw the card in the referee’s hand, but James just isn’t that sort of player.”

The loss of Baldwin is a huge blow. The powerful forward said: “I was unfortunate in that I got my leg trapped, and the moment was captured by your photographer. But either way I will be around the team, hobbling about and trying to help them.”

Josh Burridge moves to number eight to replace Baldwin with his younger brother Tom coming into the starting line-up at blind-side flanker.

One piece of good news is that last season’s captain Chris Steel, having had the pin removed from his ankle in the summer, will play his first match of the season for the Foresters when they open the defence of their Yorkshire Merit Table Premiership championship at home to Driffield (kick-off 3pm).

Wharfedale (provisional): Taylor Prell; Scott Jordan, Matt Van Sertima, Tom Davidson, Oliver Cicognini; Will Bell, Philip Woodhead; Matt Beesley, Dan Stockdale, Jake Armstrong, Simon Willet, Richard Rhodes, Tom Burridge, Chris Howick, Josh Burridge. Replacements: Adam Howard, Joe Altham, Ian Larkin, Jim Mason, Josh Prell.