Wharfedale grind out win

IN a an eminently forgettable encounter on a raw-boned North Easterly afternoon, Wharfedale duly dispatched their relegation-haunted hosts by a flattering enough seven tries to two margin to retain sixth spot in the table above their mid-table challengers.

But it must be said they achieved little else in a disappointingly error-strewn game which lacked direction and shape from the outset.

Faced with a team combining an unlikely mix of raw youth, willing journeymen and the guiding hand of former goal-kicking talisman John Stabler at fly half, the Greens made heavy weather of their task almost from the start.

And after a loose and relatively exuberant opening five minutes, which produced a try for lock David Lister in support of a gazelle-like run from Tony Capstick - far and away the Dales' most enterprising performer - Wharfedale retrenched to a narrow game of bludgeoning forward assault up the middle of the restrictingly narrow park.

But although enjoying a rare physical superiority against some young and slender opposition, they could make only spasmodic headway in an opening half which was littered with old style forward pile-ups and further punctured with a frustrating number of minor stoppages which inhibited what little constructive progress this untidy match possessed.

Individual forward forays were plentiful, with John Lawn, Russ Buckroyd, Hedley Verity and Anthony Capstick all prominent with the ball in their hands, but loose support and indecision as to whether to pass out of the tackle or go to ground resulted only in single-phase or short-lived progress.

And when possession was lost or surrendered, Hartlepool too showed they had effective runners both in midfield and especially in live-wire David Tighe at scrum half, who exposed some modest front line tackling. And it was little surprise when the home side equalised after one such run finished in the corner by winger Greg Clarke.

The hard-working old war-horse Paul Evans powered over from close range to stretch the lead against his former club, although in the callow unfamiliar surroundings of a bare, open Sixth Form College playing field unrecognisable from the arena of his youthful pomp.

But two penalty exchanges by Stabler and Jonathan Davies, deputising for the casualty David Pears after twenty minutes, left Wharfedale with an almost embarrassingly slender 13-11 lead.

The Greens' response was to pile even more effort in up front, which at least resulted in two further close-range forward tries, one again by Evans from a ruck and one from a driving maul by Richard Lancaster, which propelled the half-time lead to 25-11.

Any thoughts that such a platform might form the basis for more expansive play were chastened when the visitors opened the second half scoring with a fine three-quarter try by centre Allan Milne which rather mocked their own rather palsied creative efforts. Stabler's added conversions cut the deficit to a single try lead at 25-18.

And so it was back to more prosaic methods of attritional warfare up front, although it took some time for the now greater concerted efforts to bear effective fruit.

Against a tiring side who still were putting up spirited resistance, the Greens were at last producing better ball and a more consistent rhythm to their possession.

Effective combination in the backs may still have been eluding them, but individual runners were now taking up better positions from deep and there was the semblance of some pace meeting the pass.

With the match entering the final quarter and the game still theoretically a contest with only seven points between the sides, Wharfedale reaped the reward of their unstinting, if rarely inspired, effort.

A rare flash of slick handling freed Craig Eccleston, who finished with a long run to the corner. Minutes later, Russ Buckroyd, also coming from deep at pace, also crossed wide out for Davies to land a fine touchline conversion.

The final ten minutes, to the great credit of a wilting Hartlepool, never threatened a massacre and the visiting Dalesmen had to be content with a final seventh try when Neil Heseltine jinked in near the posts for Davies to convert.

The real lesson of the afternoon, not lost on the sizeable band of travelling Green faithful was, as they contemplated the parlous state of the visitors, to reflect on the solidity, worth and achievement of their own club and the level of successful rugby and community involvement t represents - even on a bad day!