National League One: Wharfedale 21 Blackheath 15

WHARFEDALE gave coach Tommy McGee the finest of home send-offs with a victory over second-placed Blackheath.

The Scot is returning across the border with his family to take up a management role outside of rugby union after this weekend's match at Ampthill.

With Blackheath challenging for promotion and the Greens fighting relegation, this match was critically important to both sides.

The Greens deservedly edged a vital victory, but the visitors will rue a lack of discipline that saw them, shortly after half-time, operating with just 12 men.

Forwards Tom Ellis (36 minutes) and Keiron Scutt (40), plus centre and skipper Markus Burcham (52) were yellow carded by referee Terry Gtiffiths.

Even so, such was the determination of Blackheath's defenders that they conceded no tries in this frantic period – just a single James Guy penalty for the Greens, cancelling out one by Frederick Gabbitass for the Club.

The Dalesmen had the better of the opening exchanges, but line-out frailty led to two excellent scoring chances being wasted after Guy had sent penalty kicks close to the Blackheath line.

Blackheath, by contrast, were clinical when opportunities came their way.

A fumbled high ball gave the first opening, hooker Scott Wright finishing off an efficient surge in the 13th minute for Gabbitass to convert.

Four minutes later, flanker Dave Allen touched down after a controlled maul from a line-out to put the visitors 12-0 up.

Guy began Wharfedale's fightback with two mid-half penalties, and the deficit was cut to a single point when flanker Jack Barnard snaffled a ball that squirted from a Blackheath scrum near their own line to snatch a try.

This became a double whammy for the visitors, with Ellis receiving his yellow card for taking out James Doherty without the ball as the Dale skipper himself targeted the touchdown.

That offence surely warranted a penalty try (with a straightforward conversion), which Mr Griffiths eschewed on the ground that the alert Barnard scored in the same place that Doherty was heading for.

After Gabbitass and Guy had swapped early second-half penalties, play was almost totally confined to the visitors' half as the Greens attacked in force.

Blackheath centre Simon Whatling became the fourth visitor to see yellow in the 57th minute, but he had returned to the fray before the crucial breakthrough in the 73rd minute.

A mishandled ball presented centre Cameron Hudson with the chance to hack ahead and touch down unchallenged, leaving Guy a straightforward conversion.

Home fans were ecstatic, and Blackheath faced a wall of noise as they mounted a desperate effort to recover in the closing minutes.

The Greens were not to be moved, however. Two scrums were efficiently dealt with and, with the referee confirming no-side, Doherty kicked the ball off the park, to riotous acclaim.

Doherty said: "The performance was not 100 per cent perfect but it was certainly 100 per cent committed.

"We went toe to toe with a top-of-the-table side and finally came out on the right side of the result after falling short numerous times over the last few years.

"For some in the side, it was their first experience of an 'Avenue roar'. It will live long in the memory and hopefully be the catalyst for performances to come."