Gray strike rewards Greens heroic effort

Wharfedale 8 Rosslyn Park 7

THERE was a dramatic edge-of-the-seat finish to what proved an old-fashioned game, one of tumultuous defence and error-strewn attack played in sodden and gale-force conditions.

Wharfedale’s 3-0 interval lead, courtesy of a 28th-minute penalty from Tom Davidson, was certainly hard-earned despite the end-on gale in their favour.

It was achieved against continual pressure from a dominant Park side who monopolised possession.

But the Greens’ heroic display of ferocious, unyielding tackling and do-or-die team spirit comfortably neutralised the confident ball-carrying of the Park play, which, for all its robust physicality, was made to look no more than mechanically proficient.

The slim lead may have looked insufficient at the break but more valiant defence against the elements eventually wrested back a game Park seemed to have won with prop Laurence Ovens’s 68th-minute try, converted by Ross Laidlaw.

With their first threat to the line in over an hour, Wharfedale secured victory when Tom Barrett produced the one defence-splitting pass of the match to send full-back Luke Gray over in the corner five minutes from the end.

This was a game in which, curiously given the conditions, kicking either out of hand or in terms of penalties played no part.

Fly-half Laidlaw, the division’s leading kicker had just the one shot at goal – a tribute to both the Greens’ immense discipline in rearguard defence and Paul Kelly’s judiciously restrained refereeing.

Both sides preferred to batter their way upfield, finding it easier to make a mark against the ball rather than with it. Even a first-half yellow card apiece failed to alter the balance let alone produce a point for either side.

Wharfedale, making light of the early injury to the influential Aaron Myers, were crucially better at absorbing the Park play and sharper in attack at the end.

It took a further yellow card apiece – to Steve Graham for the Greens and Darryl Marfo for Park – against substitutes who had barely set foot on the field to break the deadlock and produce the tries.

Wharfedale can be justly proud of their thrilling victory on this difficult afternoon.