Yorkshire Silver Trophy: Baildon 7 Thornensians 18

NOT only was a quarter-final place at stake in this second-round tie but also the Brian Hawkins Memorial Trophy, which is always played for when the teams meet in memory of a stalwart of both clubs.

Baildon had home advantage for the second time this season, the Jenny Laners having lost 26-22 in league in September. 

Thorne won the toss and elected to play down the slope, with the wind in the backs and, although Baildon's first scrum deep in their own territory held firm, the relief did not last long.

The visitors attacked the blind side, recycled quick ball at the ruck and went through two more phases for Rob Brown to burrow over from close range.

Thorne remained in Baildon's half for most of the stanza and, while the home line-out functioned relatively well, their scrum was untidier than a student's flat at the end of term.

Centre Anthony Bull's careless pass after they had won another heel against the head - he should have gone on his own - spared Baildon from conceding a try but again relief was short-lived as the south Yorkshire side went over from a rolling maul, Brown converting for 12-0.

They added a penalty and, after the referee's watch seemed to malfunction, Thorne landed another penalty in the 54th minute of an injury-free haklf to make the interval score 18-0.

Concussion victim Aaron Wilson was replaced at half-time as the smoke from Baildon's fireplace within the clubhouse drifted across the pitch, making the darkness even greater.

The hosts, with the elements now in their favour, blew three early opportunites, the last of which came when they had a four-man to none overlap after Thorne's No 8 had been yellow carded for entering a ruck from the side.

It was after the visitors were back to full strength that Baildon scored, player-coach Adam Falkner  kicking through twice, the first leading to a five-metre scrum and the second a try for JJ O'Connell, which was converted.

In a bid to help arrest the gloom, the training lights on the adjacent second-team pitch were switched on but handling mistakes were still made as the tie ground to its dark, damp, error-strewn conclusion.