Hinckley 31 Wharfedale 30

WHARFEDALE came away with two points but were left to rue the National League Two North win that got away.

They were denied their first away success of the season in heartbreaking fashion as Joe Glover kicked a last-gasp penalty to rip victory from their grasp.

The Greens had shown great character to recover from 21-15 down at half-time to take the lead with 15 unanswered points.

But just when it looked as if they had weathered the storm, the game took another twist. Wharfedale scrum half Phil Woodhead was penalised for delaying the put in to a defensive scrum.

Hinckley opted for a scrum and pushed Dale back with Glover touching down for a try which he converted to reduce the deficit to two points.

Two phases later Hinckley were awarded a penalty and Glover delivered the killer blow.

Wharfedale's followers had been expecting a cautious approach from their side after coach James Doherty had suggested a change of emphasis in away games, so they were surprised to see their side trying to run the ball out of their 22.

An ambitious pass was knocked on and Hinckley made them pay. Wharfedale were penalised at the scrum and the home side kicked for the corner.

The catch and drive was held by the Dale defence but they could not prevent Alex Salt from bursting over from four metres for a try which Glover converted.

The response from Dale was positive. Tom Davidson turned the ball over and set off in attack before linking with Josh Prell. The winger rounded his man for a try which Jamie Guy was unable to convert.

Wharfedale continued to take risks in defence and it was to prove their undoing once again. A handling error led to an attacking scrum which Hinckley capitalised on to create space in midfield for Alex Crocker to score a try which Glover converted.

Jamie Guy was on target with a penalty after Hinckley failed to deal with the restart, but his side were again made to pay for not having a reliable exit strategy.

Having gathered the restart, Dale took the ball out of the 22 before kicking directly into touch. It was a costly error as it gave the home side the chance to exert heavy pressure which led to Alex Murray being given a free run to the line. Glover's third conversion made it 21-8.

Wharfedale finished the first half strongly. A 30-metre catch and drive nearly led to a score but the ball was spun wide and dropped.

They were rewarded for their efforts when a strong tackle from Alistair Allen led the ball going loose. Tom Whyte hacked on and set off after the ball.

Whyte was pulled down before reaching the ball but Dan Stockdale was on hand to touch down for a try. Guy’s conversion brought Dale right back into the game at 21-15.

There was an added bonus with Glen Murray, who had brought down Whyte, receiving a yellow card.

Dale made use of their one man advantage. A good line-out was followed by fine handling in the backline before Scott Jordan evaded the defence for a try which Guy converted to give his side the lead.

Guy stretched the advantage with a penalty before Robbie Davidson ran a superb line through the middle of the Hinckley defence and Jordan was on hand to grab his second try of the afternoon.

Guy missed the touchline conversion and Hinckley capitalised on the miss by scoring ten points in the last two minutes to take the win.

Wharfedale: Scott Jordan; Robbie Davidson, Harry Bullough, Tom Davidson (Jimmy Bullough 45min), Josh Prell; Jamie Guy, Phil Woodhead; Joe Altham, Dan Stockdale (James Huck 55min), Toms Asejevs (Ian Larkin 50min), Richard Rhodes, Alistair Allen (Adam Howard 55min), George Hedgley, Tom Whyte (Matt Hall 60min), Josh Burridge (c).