Yorkshire Division Five: Wibsey 62 Withernsea 3

IF Wibsey Rugby Club were a Charles Dickens novel, they would be Bleak House or Hard Times.

For so long the whipping boys of Yorkshire rugby, they have had to endure both conceding matches and 100-point beatings.

Many a time, it would have been easier for them to have packed up than carry on, but now there are Great Expectations after they have gone through their league season unbeaten.

They wrapped up their programme with a ten-try thrashing of visitors Withernsea, and Wibsey's head coach and forwards' coach Andy Rose said: "This is a reward for all of the hard work that has been put in."

First-team coach Rob Greenwood said: "We are a very hospitable club, we have a good team and have had good numbers at training at the 4G pitch at Buttershaw Business & Enterprise College."

Like Greenwood and Rose, rugby chairman and secretary Steve Brooke, who has been in the job for seven years, has known the bad days, and remembered: "At my first training session we had one floodlight and four players, and some of the lads have come through suffering 100-point beatings.

"I can remember us going over to Stanley Rodillians with only 11 or 12 players but we have had 20 to 25 players at training this season, and thanks should go to the coaching team of Andy Rose and Rob Greenwood and fixture secretary Andy McDonnell.

"Thanks should also go to all of the players who have pulled on a green and red jersey this season, our club sponsors and match-day sponsors, club captain James Brown, playing captain James Birkbeck, who like Andy, Rob and Andy, has come through the bad times, and Dave Grayson, who set us on our way when he was coach for three and a half years."

On a heavy pitch at Northfield Road, it took Wibsey just 24 minutes to earn a four-try bonus point.

With scrums uncontested due to Withernsea only having two front-rowers in their squad of 18, the visitors made the mistake of tackling centre Chris Clough too high as he powered over for the first try in the 13th minute.

Full back Brad Wright converted that and the try by centre Elliott Gray three minutes later.

However, the home side's discipline was lacking, and lock James Birkbeck was marched back ten metres for dissent to referee Nick Leadbeater, allowing Withernsea left winger Dan Wardman to kick an 18th-minute penalty.

Wibsey were soon concentrating again, however, and Brown got the third try two minutes later, charging down Withernsea centre Michael Penny's clearance kick and diving on the loose ball.

Wright's conversion made it 21-3, and the full back went over himself four minutes later after a good run by right winger Elliott Culling and a speedy pass by scrum half Kyle Carter.

Delightful combination between Brown and Culling put the No 8 over in the 27th minute, and Carter himself piled through the middle of the Withernsea defence for Wibsey's sixth try just before the interval.

Wright's conversion made it 38-3 but neither side reached half-time unscathed as Wibsey flanker Michael Kite was yellow carded for a high tackle on the half-hour and Penny was sin-binned for a third deliberate knock on four minutes later.

The second half was much scrappier, maybe due to the cold conditions and the result being decided.

Wibsey added four more tries – by replacement centre Adam Armitage (2), Brown and fly half James Sawyer, with Wright converting two.

But the home side went close on at least five other occasions, most notably when Culling's powerful weaving run seemed certain to result in a try, only for the 17-year-old to lose the ball over the line.

Armitage also went close, Sam Foulds was held up over the line and Culling had the ball taken off him by Wardman when he was close to scoring in the right-hand corner, and also almost scored from a cute pass by replacement back Bryn Worsley that belonged more to August than January.

Now Wibsey turn their attention to the Keith Dyas Cup, a competition named after one of their members that involves teams from Yorkshire Four and Yorkshire Division Five, and not only is there the prospect of some more silverware but also a £500 prize to the winners.