LEGENDARY golfer Gary Player said: "The harder you work, the luckier you get."

Wharfedale's 38-20 home victory over Loughborough Students last Saturday in SSE National League One certainly wasn't down to luck – but it was down to a lot of hard work.

After three straight batterings, in which they conceded a total of 154 points, Greens' head coach Jon Feeley was able to reflect on a victory, saying: "Their coach (Dave Morris) said some very nice things about us afterwards, and it was music to my ears.

"But I would like to think that it was down to the hard work we have been putting in at training.

"We won our first three line-outs and, for the first time this season, we disrupted a lot of the opposition's line-outs.

"We have also been targeting our defence, and we took advantage of their two sin-binnings." Wharfedale scored two converted tries while the students were short-handed.

However, it was the physicality of the home pack that was really the key, and they were rewarded with a pushover try by Richard Rhodes and a penalty try, which Feeley feels sent out an important psychological message in the closing minutes of the match.

The Dalesmen now turn their attention to Saturday's trip to winless second-from-bottom Old Albanians, and make one enforced change, Tom Burridge being brought back into the starting line-up in the back row for the injured Adam Howard, Alex Powell being named on the bench after strong displays for the second string.

Fourth-placed Otley, who have won four out of five in SSE National League Two North, are at tenth-placed Caldy.

Wharfedale (at Old Albanians): T Prell; S Jordan, M Van Sertima, T Davidson, O Cicognini; L Stevenson, J Doherty; C Steel, I Larkin, J Armstrong, S Willet, R Rhodes, T Burridge, J Burridge, C Howick. Replacements: M Beesley, D Stockdale, J Mason, A Powell, P Woodhead.

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