National League One: Esher 25 Wharfedale 10

WITH 15 men on the pitch, Wharfedale were a match for Esher.

A yellow card handed to Rob Baldwin was the cue for Esher to score 17 points, and they only scored again when Steven Graham was sent to the sin bin.

The first quarter saw the two sides level on 3-3, with a penalty for Esher, kicked by Paul Roberts, answered by Jamie Guy on 15 minutes.

Baldwin was sin-binned after 22 minutes, and the home team capitalised with a converted penalty try, another penalty from Roberts and a try from Tom Yellowtrees, which Roberts also converted.

Graham's ten-minute rest came on 32 minutes, and Esher added their third try a minute later.

Roberts went close but his conversion, from the left touchline, just shaved the post on the wrong side.

Dale found themselves 25-3 down at half-time but came out and started to play with more conviction.

There were some good sustained passages, but Wharfedale could not find the killer punch.

However, Esher's sometime desperate defence was not treated as harshly as Dale had been treated earlier in the game.

Dale scored a well-deserved try in the last minute when Will Bell dashed in under the posts, Guy adding two more points from the tee.