Yorkshire Division Five: Wibsey 17 Garforth 18

WINTRY weather brings uncertainty, and when all Bradford Council's pitches were ruled out of action on Friday, maybe Wibsey's players were lulled into feeling they would have a day off.

Many of them were expecting Saturday's match against Garforth to be staged on the infamous sloping pitch at council-owned Beldon Lane, perhaps not giving a thought to the fact that it might be played on the Bradford club's first-choice pitch at Northfield Road, which had taken a hammering the previous weekend .

However, not wishing the club to lose any momentum, diligent forking by club members on the morning of the match meant that the match did go ahead across the road from their clubhouse.

"Garforth are a good set of lads and we always have close matches against them, but I am convinced that we lost this match on Friday," said Wibsey's team manager Steve Brooke.

"The lads thought they were getting a free weekend but seven of us went down on Saturday morning to fork the area in front of the posts at the top end, the pitch was fit to play and we were not on the right frame of mind as a team."

Wibsey had won their previous three matches and were bidding for their best sequence since they won eight in succession in Yorkshire Division Six and Yorkshire Division Five North West between October 2003 and September 2004 (beat Thirsk 10-3 home, Thirsk 19-13 away, Garforth 13-12 home, Marist 33-0 home, Ossett 13-11 away, Rawmarsh 38-10 home, Marist 23-0 away, all in Yorkshire Division Dix; Wharfedale Rams 20-0 away, Yorkshire Division Five North West).

Wibsey won promotion as champions of Yorkshire Division Six in 2003-04, and Brooke added: "The p-word has even been mentioned again this season but this defeat has rather scuppered that.

"We had been targeting the match against (current leaders) Hornsea away on December 19 but now we are aiming for the top three.

"Positives were the form of No 8 Chris (CJ) Vogel, hooker Mark Darragh and fly half Bryn Worsley, the numbers of players that we have available and the work that is being done by head coach Andy Rose and assistant coach Rob Greenwood."

Hornsea, who Wibsey have already beaten this season, and Stanley Rodillians have a bit of leeway in first and second respectively, but Wibsey are currently in third, two points ahead of Rossington Hornets, who they host on December 12.

In keeping with the confusion of the 24 hours prior to the match, Garforth went to the wrong ground (Beldon Lane) before kick-off and then proceeded to start in just about the most awful manner possible, their kick-off bobbling sideways and never looking like it would go the required ten metres.

Worsley, always prepared to take on the Garforth defensive line, almost created an opportunity for his pack to claim an early try but the visitors were trailing by the 13th minute anyway on a cold afternoon where snow was still lying on the tufts of grass alongside the pitch.

Full back Elliott Gray, winger Scott Smith and centre Adam Armitage were also involved in an incisive attack that was finished off on the right by winger Bruce Mpofu for his fifth try of the season.

The lead only lasted two minutes, however, as lock Tom Morley replied for visitors, who are close enough for Wibsey to warrant calling it a derby, and Garforth went 10-5 ahead in the 24th minute, flanker Lee Dawson capitalising on some stern pressure.

Fly half Alex Gummerson added a penalty ten minutes later as Wibsey paid the penalty for putting two kicks direct into touch but the hosts gave themselves a lift with a 38th-minute try by centre Dan Horsfall after good work by Worsley and Smith.

Trailing 13-10 with the advantage of a slight wind in the second half, perennial strugglers Wibsey had every reason to feel optimistic, especially now referee Mike Dickinson seemed to be favouring them rather than Hornsea.

Smith's try four minutes after the interval, after great work by Vogel and replacement James Birkbeck, seemed to have laid the platform for victory.

Horsfall's conversion made it 17-13 but the home side then lost Worsley (hamstring) and James Birkbeck (knee) within the space of three minutes.

Vogel was held up over the line after a great drive by replacement Simon Birkbeck and, even though Garforth only had sporadic pressure, Wibsey couldn't convert pressure into points.

Then the visitors had a purple patch as the home side visibly tired and, although Hornsea were also held up over the line, centre Ben Barnes slithered over in the left-hand corner for the winning score with ten minutes left, Horsfall missing a chance to win it four minutes after that with a penalty that sliced wide of the near upright.