Wharfedale 36 Sheffield Tigers 13: Wharfedale celebrate Cup win as battling Sheffield fade away

Yorkshire Cup

Wharfedale, beaten finalists in four of the last seven years, at last have their hands on the Yorkshire Cup but the fulfilment of their quest proved far from easy.

Sheffield Tigers, who ply their trade two divisions below in National Two North, were worthy adversaries and when they cut the deficit to a point at the start of the second half the favourites looked decidedly nervous.

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But Wharfedale's superior fitness and organisation eased their anxiety and three further tries helped them end a season in which they progressed in National One with some deserved silverware.

When they scored the game's opening try after two minutes, Richard Brown releasing Luke Gray, it looked like it would be a stroll. But Gray injured himself as he scored and was one of two Wharfedale players to leave the contest injured in the first 10 minutes.

Allied with their misfiring lineout, and the tenacity of the Tigers, Wharfedale could not cut loose. Will Durandt kicked a penalty for Sheffield and after both sides traded sin-binnings, Wharfedale at last registered their second try on 33 minutes when Rob Baldwin took a quick penalty and went over himself.

Durandt was the game's outstanding player and utilised the room on the immaculate Huddersfield YMCA surface to burst down the right wing and set up Brandon Hannon to score.

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One minute into the second half another incisive break from Durandt released Charlie Cone to score in the right corner. But Durandt failed with a conversion that would have given the underdogs the lead.

Wharfedale settled the jitters and re-established their lead four minutes later when, after James Tincknell was brilliantly stopped by John Buchanan, prop Chris Steel scored.

Further tries from Dan Solomi and Mark Bedworth, who added a further 11 points with the boot, ended the resistance of Sheffield despite the best efforts of their evergreen fly-half Dave Scully.

Wharfedale: Gray, Dixon, Malherbe, Tincknell, Hodgson, Bedworth, Woodhead; Fear, Graham, Steel, Renton, Brown, Maka'afi, Solomi, Baldwin. Replacements: Dickinson, Hindle, Allen, Wareing, Hall, Horsfall, Matthews.

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Sheffield Tigers: Durandt, Holgate, Buchanan, McKenzie, Pratt, Outram, Scully; Bunting, Thompson, Toews, Joel, Wilkinson, Pearson, Fandhu, Hannon. Replacements: Evans, Bastock, Scheinkonig, Lidster, Whitworth, Parsons, Cone.

Referee: R Whelan (South Yorkshire).

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