Wharfedale 28 Blaydon 22: Defiant Greens hold out

In retrospect the warning signs had been posted in the first half, even as the Greens built the conclusive-looking lead. Decent possession – indeed much possession at all – from their own line-outs was already scarce. And all three tries, well-taken though they were, resulted from initial errors on the part of the visitors.

It was as well for the Dalesmen that Mark Bedworth had remembered his kicking boots; the fly-half's 13 points proving vital. Bedworth began the Greens' first-half scoring binge with a brace of early penalties. Centre James Tincknell grabbed a fumbled ball on halfway to sprint clear to the posts on 19, leaving a straightforward conversion. It was Tincknell again (32) after Bedworth had combined with flanker Latu Maka'afi to carve the opening.

Tincknell was also involved in the third try, interpassing with winger Iain Dixon before the latter provided the scoring pass for centre Chris Malherbe. All Blaydon had to show was a penalty (21) from ex-Wharfedale centre Andy Baggett.

But what a different spectacle the second half proved – despite a brief respite, when Bedworth cleared a 38-metre penalty – the Greens were forced on the defensive. By dint of sheer bloody-minded determination, the Dalesmen did just enough to preserve the win. Tries by Chris Wearmouth (50), Scott Riddell (69) and Matt Hall (78), plus two Baggett conversions, left Blaydon a single score short.