Greens suffer shock demolition defeat

But the Greens could hardly have expected the drubbing they suffered as the division’s bottom side followed their stunning victory against leaders Jersey with a comprehensive demolition of the Dalesmen.

Barking scored five tries with impressive full-back Chris Ashwin making light of a fierce cross-wind to add 17 points with the boot with six successful kicks, several of them from taxing positions.

Wharfedale scored four tries of their own, each of them a clinical exploitation of their overwhelming set-piece superiority.

The hosts were everything that Wharfedale were not: confident in their handling at pace; energetic and adventurous in their play; alert to attacking opportunity; making light of the sub-standard area of their game.

Wharfedale led after 20 minutes courtesy of two tries. Captain Rob Baldwin scored near the posts with a short tap-and-go penalty when the home pack was all at sea defending a five-yard scrum. Then a repeat situation produced an equally clear-cut penalty try converted by Tom Barrett.

Fault lines were appearing in the Greens’ centre defence and Barking, in centres Andrew Henderson and Charlie Broughton, had the creative ammunition to exploit them. Henderson opened the hosts’ account and the Londoners added two more tries through scrum-half Tom Parker and a rousing maul to the line finished off by lock Tom Burns.

Wharfedale were able to stabilise things with a third try as Ben Sowrey drove over from a corner line-out maul, but they were still 27-17 adrift at the break.

Barking scored two second half tries. Henderson put an expansive finish to winger Steve Hihetah’s strong incursion into the line, and replacement lock Joe Hardy added a final late score.

In between, Wharfedale added a fourth try, again by Sowrey, and Barrett converted.

They created and wasted four more opportunities after powerful srummaging and had to be content with a vital, if rather shame-faced bonus point.