WHARFEDALE turned out at Tynedale and were greeted with a cold day and a moderate breeze. A lot better than when they set off from the Avenue.

The game drifted away from Wharfedale very early, with the home side making a very positive start. Wharfedale hardly had a touch of the ball before Tynedale set up camp in the visitors 22.

A knock on gave Dale a defensive scrum which they won but, as so often in this match, they lost possession. 4 phases later Chris Wearmouth forced his way over the try line. Cameron Grant slotted the conversion. The omens were not good for Dale as from a Tynedale knock on at the restart they were driven off their own put in. This was a rare event as the Dale scrum grew in confidence and in general held their own and won penalties as well.

Dale did get some meaningful possession but mistakes stopped them making progress and Tynedale extended their lead with a 36-metre penalty. Wharfedale then had a sustained period with possession. A charge from tight-head prop, Sam Dickinson, led to Wharfedale getting a foothold in the game. A kick ahead was retaken and Dale put together 11 phases before winning a penalty in front of the posts. Tom Davidson slotted the kick to put Dale on the scoreboard.

Sadly, this good rugby did not last for long and back came Tynedale. Ben Blackwell burst through the middle to score a converted try. 17 – 3. Dale had further chances before halftime but lost the ball twice in contact.

A fair reflection of the first half but Wharfedale could now turn round, regroup and play with the wind behind them. The second half started with Dale going through 5 phases but a knock on was pounced on by Tynedale who quickly went on to the attack down the left. Alexander Ball finished off the move and made the conversion an easy one for Grant to take their lead to 21 points.

Dale would not lie down and a run from Oscar Canny led to a penalty in front of the posts which Davidson converted.

Dale dragged themselves back into the game with a Rian Hamilton try. Dale won a line out on the Tynedale 22 and 3 phases later moved the ball left. A tiny gap was created which Hamilton squeezed through. He had the speed and skill to round the defence and beat the cover to touch down. Davidson added the extras to give the travelling faithful hope.

There were some good moments in the 20 last minutes. The Dale 8 getting their revenge and pushing Tynedale off their own ball and another good run from Oscar Canny. There were however too many mistakes to allow this possession to be turned into more points and the match ended with Dale travelling home without earning a point.

Wharfedale Head Coach, Jon Feeley commented “A disappointing day. In the second half we showed better commitment but the game was lost in the 1st when we simply didn’t turn up. There are players who came here to perform to the best of their ability today, Jack Pinder, Ben Markey, Matt Beesley and of course Dan Stockdale led by example. To see Henry McNab back in green was terrific and he impressed me. All the players need to raise their expectations to meet the example set by those boys. I include myself and the coaching staff in that, we all need to prepare to perform, and set our standards accordingly. Games are not just won over 80minutes, they are won over the week preceding that as well."