Tincknell signs off in style and Wharfedale finish with a flourish

Two superb tries either side of the break gave the home side an ascendancy they never surrendered against a gale during the second half despite captain Rob Baldwin’s yellow card.

Wharfedale began with confidence and Andy Hodgson crossed from Simon Horsfall’s break for a try converted by Tom Barrett.

Dan Solomi then set a club record for a forward with his 18th try of the season from the back of a ruck. Barrett’s drop-goal made it 15-0 after 10 minutes.

The Greens’ pack were in charge at the scrum and the line-out but they were forced to defend against Macc’s powerful pick-and-drive game, and a short period of such pressure brought tries for No 8 Matt Owens and centre Richard Hughes, one converted by Tom Eaton.

Barrett’s long arcing break and confident finish and conversion gave the Greens a 22-12 lead at the break.

Early in the second half, a length-of-the-field team score began with James Tincknell’s break from his own line before forwards and backs combined to set up a 40-yard finish by man of the match James Holland.

Macclesfield replied with a neat try from excellent flanker Frankie Barker from a close tap-penalty and it was converted by Ross Winney but the visitors were then powerless to prevent three further length-of-the field-finishes as Wharfedale ended the season with their most compelling and balanced team performance.

First, departing centre Tincknell finished some excellent combined handling and a neat final pass from Horsfall.

Then Holland, a force throughout both at the breakdown and in the loose, added his second with another searing finish before winger James Druce sprinted 70 yards as Wharfedale signed off both the match and the season in exuberant style to finish in 10th place.

Otley prove last-gasp survivors to condemn Harrogate to the drop

Otley ensured their survival when they scraped a 38-29 victory at Hull Ionians with a last-minute try.

Defeat would have meant they went down and Harrogate stayed up but Tom Rock’s stoppage-time score ensured they took a vital five-point victory.

Christian Georgiou had kicked five penalties for Otley and tries had come from winger Curtis Wilson (2), scrum-half James Munro and Georgiou.

However, with Ionians tries coming from wing forward Kerry Wood (2), left-winger Jon Steel, stand-off Glenn Boyd and right winger Gary Stephenson, Otley were leading by just one point at 34-33 with five minutes left.

Ionians’ scrum-half Adam Thomas crashed over to take a 38-34 lead, but Rock’s late score salvaged the points for Otley.

Harrogate’s 25-21 home win over Leicester Lions proved in vain.

They won it with a converted try on full time.

Jack Latus and James Stokes traded penalties before Lions flanker Drew Rudkin crossed.

Latus kicked two more penalties and Stokes one before the break.

Latus kicked them ahead but Harrogate’s Jimmy Browne was judged to have illegally prevented a try and was sent to the sin-bin and Leicester were awarded a penalty try.

The Lions made it 21-12 but Latus kicked two penalties before Lions’ Mitchell Todd was sent to the bin and Mike Aspinall powered through for a fine converted try which, however, was not enough to keep them up.

Hull ensured they finished the season fourth after securing a 55-12 victory at Westoe.

Winger Alex Piercy and full-back Jim Wigglesworth both scored two tries, and others came from stand-off James Cameron, No 8 Robert Devonshire, winger Matt Donkin and prop John Price. Cameron kicked three conversions and a penalty, and Wigglesworth also added a conversion.

Sheffield Tigers finished their season on a high note with a 16-8 victory over Bromsgrove. Second-row Sam Cook and winger Liam Wallace scored tries, and Alex Graham kicked two penalties.

Huddersfield rounded off a disappointing season with a 17-6 home defeat against Stockport.

The home setback to champions Loughborough Students in February effectively ended their hopes of claiming top spot and since then Huddersfield have won just two of their seven outings.

The Lockwood Park outfit finished in sixth place, eight points clear of Westoe in seventh.

An under-strength side found the going tough against Stockport’s forwards. Huddersfield trailed 10-3 at half-time and Chris Johnson’s second penalty narrowed the gap. However, in heavy conditions and with four minutes remaining, the visitors were awarded a penalty try.

Pack duo and Brown prove the heroes as Keighley are promoted

Keighley will play in North One East next season after they beat hosts Alnwick 18-16 in a dramatic play-off battle.

The runners-up in Yorkshie One, Keighley were trailing 16-3 to the Durham/Northumberland One runners-up but battled back strongly with the wind in their favour after the break.

Prop Craig Spence and flanker Scott Dyson touched down for Keighley, and Alex Brown kicked a conversion and two penalties to clinch the win.

Bridlington and Selby both reached the final of the Yorkshire Shield.

Selby beat Yorkshire Two champions Barnsley 24-18 in their semi-final.

Prop Andrew Pocklington, back-row Jacob Robinson and No 8 Martin Protherough scored their tries, and Josh Cruise kicked two conversions and a penalty and Dan Porter added one conversion. Barnsley flanker Marlow Wragg and centre Arron Gaunt touched down.

Bridlington will play Selby in the final – as they did two years ago – after winning 32-12 at Pontefract.

Winger Ryan Kerr scored two tries for the visitors, and others came from full-back Siswe Zondo and winger Gareth Roberts, and stand-off Jamie Muru kicked three conversions and two penalties.

Pontefract winger Simon Spears and centre Nick Dykes touched down and Chris Sant kicked a conversion.

Wath on Dearne warmed up for Saturday’s Senior Vase final at Twickenham with a 19-7 victory at Yarnbury.

The win keeps Wath on track for promotion from Yorkshire Two, providing they can win their final league match in two weeks against West Leeds.

Sheffield ran in eight tries on their way to a 52-24 victory over strugglers Team Northumbria.

With the visitors relegated and planning to pull out of the leagues, Sheffield made hard work of it.

From 12-0 down, Northumbria got as close as 29-17 before Sheffield pulled away. Flanker James Ferguson, Simon Tillyer, Carl Mortimer, James Montgomery (2) and Dale Goulding scored tries but the star of the game at Abbeydale Park was Donal Collins, who scored two tries and the rest of the points with his boot.