Thwaites North One: Bradford & Bingley 25, Wigton 16; by Bill Marshall.

Bradford & Bingley produced a sunshine performance as they kicked off their Thwaites North Division One campaign with a fine win.

But on a day when temperatures on the pitch soared it was the tally of injuries which worried the Bees.

They lost No 8 Howard Greenwood with medial ligament damage to his left knee, lock Mark Heap played on despite a hand injury and Andy Murphy went off at half-time with an Achilles problem.

Bradford & Bingley have a larger squad than last season, but it is still relatively small in numbers and they can ill afford this kind of injury list at the end of every match.

Greenwood, who limped off after 17 minutes, said: "I expect to be out for three to four weeks."

One player who was happy coping with the heat was debut-making hooker Nick Green.

He said: "It was hotter when I played for Leeds in the National Colts Cup Final in June at Northampton when we were beaten by London Irish," admitted the 19-year-old.

Hooker Green may have spent last season at Headingley, but he is a Bingley product.

"I was born there, have been playing for Bradford & Bingley since I was five-and-a-half (initially for the under-eights) and went to Bingley Grammar School," he explained.

As for facing the Cumbrians, Green said: "I found it hard getting into the match and we found it a little hard to gel as a team.

"But the pack, and the front five in particular, did well and Richard Head cleaned up a lot of possession from No 8."

By half-time the Bees were 20-6 in front, Murphy having crashed over for a try after seven minutes and fly half Richard Petyt's blindside break giving prop Andy Smith the chance to show that pre-season sprint work hadn't gone to waste as they crossed again.

Matthew Inman also landed two penalties and two conversions, the only reply from the Cumbrians being two penalties by scrum half Kevin Bethwaite.

An excellent Bethwaite penalty in the 43rd minute gave Wigton a glimmer of hope, but it was virtually snuffed out by an excellent try from centre Inman, who cut inside the defence after a diagonal run by full back Mark Coultas.

A score of any kind then would have sealed Bradford & Bingley's win, but they conceded a try to persevering No 8 Steve Milnes in the 75th minute which Bethwaite converted.

The next few minutes were worrying for the home supporters, but an excellent tackle in midfield by Hugh Gumbs helped to kill off any momentum that Wigton had built up.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.