Injuries take toll on plucky Wharfedale

IT proved a trip to the capital to forget for Wharfedale as they returned home on the back of a terrible hiding, which also left them with another five bodies on the injury list.

Bolstered by all their Harlequins stars, Esher came out quickly and played a fast and exciting brand of rugby which Wharfedale were always going to struggle with.

Up until just after the halfway point, however, Wharfedale were still proving to be a thorn in the side of their hosts, particularly after Dan Solomi’s two tries on the stroke of half-time and another in the 46th minute brought the score back to 29-20, causing temporary concern for the home side.

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But the visitors finished with only 13 bodies on the pitch after injuries to Richard Rhodes, Alistair Allen, Lloyd Davies, Andy Hodgson and Adam Whaites took their toll, the home side plundering 28 points in the last 16 minutes to give the scoreline an unfair slant.