National Division One

Wharfedale 20 Harrogate 3

A controlled display by Wharfedale's pack was enough to win this unofficial championship of North Yorkshire as Harrogate crashed to their 20th defeat of the season and their first ever loss to the Greens in a competitive match, writes Keith Lewis.

Judging by the streams of cashmeres and Crombies leaving The Avenue well before the end it must have seemed like the last straw in a luckless season to those loyal Harrogate supporters who had just seen their side totally outplayed by their country cousins. From another perspective they were perhaps fortunate to be spared a more sizeable defeat by a Wharfedale back division which coughed and spluttered but never really achieved full throttle.

The visitors' miserable afternoon was completed by the news that Lydney had won their home game against Reading and therefore leap-frogged over 'Gate in the relegation zone.

Wharfedale welcomed back their county men Jonathan Davies, John Lawn, David Lister and Hedley Verity and included the experienced John Metcalfe in the front row for his fifth senior game of an injury-marred season. The visitors' most notable absentee was their captain and ball-winning second row Peter Taylor, but they did have White Rose winger Lee Feurer and Yorkshire Under 21 centre Craig Reed, former Wakefield threequarter Kerry Morley and their redoubtable No 8 Jeremy Hopkinson who played 17 league games for the Greens from 1988-90.

On a day when the weather was typically quattro stagioni the Greens made a whirlwind start and took the lead with barely 60 seconds on the clock. Scrum-half David Whitfield was quick to see a gap down the tramlines and his delicate chip took play into the corner.

Once there lock David Lister secured the first lineout of the afternoon and the pack drove on twice before a quick release sent centre Davies cruising over for his 10th try of the season.

The vociferous "Hoppy", looking every bit the seasonal bunny in his Easter bonnet, rallied the Harrogate pack and they gained territory long enough for fly-half Dan Clappison to curl over a penalty during what seemed the only wind-free moment of the whole game - someone said it was the pre-match Murphy's!

The lively Green forwards took the initiative again minutes later when following another Lister lineout leap play closed in on the visitors' line.

Desperate defence produced a penalty which Wharfedale chose to scrummage and from the resulting heel that green ninja, flanker Paul Evans, went crashing over for a try which right wing Adam Mounsey converted to take the score to 12-3 in Wharfedale's favour.

The Greens monopolised possession for both middle quarters without adding to the score, but there were notable contributions from Lawn and Metcalfe in the loose and Lister and No 8 Charlie Vyvyan in the aerial wars. Whitfield too showed his value to the side in both attack and defence as did fullback Neil Heseltine in far from ideal conditions.

Left wing Steve McManus was fully involved in a purple patch after the interval, making several strong bursts as the Dalesmen explored the blind side and Davies and Heseltine made a succession of openings.

Harrogate wing forward Lee Woodhouse was the pick of the visitors in attack and defence and one double tackle on him by Ian Peel and Vyvyan showed the respect he had earned and brought sympathetic winces from the gallery.

Harrogate battled on with their backs showing touches of invention and unusual attacking formations, but they were starved of the ball and got nowhere against a resolute home defence.

Evans, Mounsey and fly-half Dan Harrison all went close for the Greens until with 15 minutes left and the Wharfedale scrummaging in the ascendancy Harrogate finally conceded another try.

The admirable Whitfield had taken a knock moments before, but when the pack pounded the Harrogate line and a half chance appeared the former Bradford GS scrum-half needed no invitation to plunge over for his fourth try in nine games since joining the Threshfield club.

His former schoolmate Mounsey added a late penalty to take his own season's tally to 276 points.

Replacements John Hartley and Mark Viner fitted in well as did James Ogden, who came on briefly at the end. All in all it was a solid performance rather than a spectacular one for the Greens as they completed only their second league game of the season without conceding a try, the other being the 10-9 win at Lydney in October.

With the promotion and relegation question still unresolved at national level all kinds of possibilities are emerging.

While thankfully not being directly involved, Wharfedale supporters will have noticed the demise of Exeter in Premier Division Two and will also have realised that Claro Road is a lot nearer than the Devon county ground....."Come on 'Gate!"

Tomorrow (Saturday) Wharfedale play their penultimate league game of '97/98 away at Rosslyn Park whose Priory Lane ground is in Roehampton. The Greens won a close game 16-13 at home in November but will be aware that Park are often a tougher nut to crack on their own patch.

Supporters travelling via the M1 should follow signs to the West End, A41, then take the A406 North Circular West, following signs for Kew Bridge A205.

At Kew Bridge Station bear left and cross the bridge, bear left at the traffic lights and continue straight on at the next lights until the junction with the A305. There turn left through East Sheen and after 1.2 miles turn right into Priory Lane, signed Richmond Park.

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