North Ribblesdale 27 Wath-upon-Dearne 17

NORTH Ribblesdale made it seven wins on the trot as they continued to make a nonsense of their struggles for much of the season.

They are finishing the campaign with the form of champions and their latest success condemned their battling rivals to relegation to Yorkshire Two.

After playing into a strong first-half wind and turning round slightly ahead, Ribb struggled to secure the sort of possession they needed if they were to run up the points their spectators were hoping for.

Both halves were illuminated by outstanding tries from David Fox and Adam Whaites but Wath's resilient and determined play meant they spent long spells in the home side's half.

Wath had the backing of the wind in the first half and they soon pegged Ribb into their own 22. The visitors used their powerful pack to test the home defence.

A powerful burst from the base of an attacking scrum from Matthew Burrows saw him halted just short of the line, but there was no stopping Andy Beardsall.

With the benefit of the early score and the knowledge that their forwards were edging the scrums, Wath's confidence was high.

Ribb responded by using Matthew Speres to punch holes in the defence. It is a tried and trusted method which enabled them to make ground into the Wath 22.

The home side's efforts were rewarded when Andrew Thwaite went over for an unconverted try after Jonny Moore had made a dent in the midfield defence.

It looked as if the good work had been undone when Ribb were penalised for accidental offside at the restart. This time their forwards disrupted the Wath scrum and won the resulting ruck.

Ribb moved the ball left to Fox who beat the first tackler before jinking inside the full back and running 40 metres for stunning individual try.

Mick Carr was halted inches from the line after a flowing move which had featured Speres, Simon Bolland, Matthew Dakin and Moore as play swept from the home 22.

Martin Bray kicked a penalty before half-time to keep Wath in close contention.

An outstanding individual try by Adam Whaites, who beat several men to score near the posts for a converted try, gave Ribb a lift early in the second half.

A Naylor penalty stretched the lead before the powerful Bolland used his pace to score a converted try.

With 30 minutes to go it appeared that Ribb would run out emphatic winners but Wath had other ideas. They dominated possession and chipped away at the lead, but they could not save themselves from the drop.

Ribb will now be hoping to win their remaining two games to provide themselves with a platform for next season.

The return of key players from injury, the strength of Willie Garth in the pack, and the speed of the back three have been key ingredients in the team's success.