After days of continuous rainfall of almost biblical proportion, handling errors were to be expected. It was a credit to both sides that these were kept to a minimum given the conditions. Dale started well from the kick off restricting DMP to two short incursions into the 22. The following 5 minutes however set the tone for the rest of the evening.

Mowden responded immediately to their disallowed try with some slick work & two quick tries, both converted. Shear graft from Wharfedale saw Jack Pinder over the line after another 10 minutes, capably converted by Jack Greig.

The comeback wasn't to last though as the DMP scrum half Benjamin Douglas went over for another try on 25 minutes, successfully converted by the standoff Flynn Ward; 21-7.
Wharfedale’s half time team talk clearly helped with a defensive improvement resulting in a much tighter display.

The second period was also more productive for the Greens than the first. DMP were down to 14 men following a yellow card shortly after the restart. Wharfedale elected for a kick at goal from the 22 in front of the posts following a penalty award. With the arrears down to 11 points, it looked to be game on, but the advantage was short lived as Mowden matched the ‘Dale’s kick with one of their own for 3 points.
The last quarter of the match belonged to Wharfedale. Some of the DMP players were starting to show signs of fatigue & the effects of one or two knocks were coming to the fore.

Another converted Pinder try on 67 minutes brought a positive result into reach but despite significant pressure, DMP held out to win 24-17; a losing bonus point scant reward for Wharfedale’s efforts.

Over the course of the game, Wharfedale had a lot of possession, dominating for long periods. Effective strategic kicking by Jack Greig resulted in creating scoring opportunities but frustratingly, they couldn’t be converted into points.

Difficult conditions always meant that this wasn’t going to be a classic, but the players from both sides did themselves credit.

The effort & commitment from the green contingent was exemplary with some creditable cameos from Borrill in the line out & Jack Greig’s foot!

Team captain for the night, Oli Cicognini, didn’t hide his disappointment at the result. “A disappointing first 20 minutes but after that we grew into the game. Defensively we improved over the last hour of play. We had a lot of possession in the (DMP) red zone but didn’t convert the opportunities. Overall, it is a disappointing result”.

Photo courtesy Wharfedale RUFC Photos

Final Score: Darlington Mowden Park 24- Wharfedale 17
Referee: Andrew Shaw
Attendance: tbc
Half time Score: 21-7
Scorers:
WHARFEDALE
Tries: Pinder 24 & 67.
Conversions: Greig 24, 67
Penalty: Greig 50

DMP
Tries: Callaghan 11; Checksfield 14; Douglas 25.
Conversions: Ward 11, 14 & 25.
Penalty: Ward 53.

Wharfedale Team
1. S Dickinson (J Bentley 79), 2. Dan Stockton (R Collinson 64), 3. J Armstrong, 4. Z Heys, 5. S Borrill, 6. J Pinder (R Tweedale 79), 7. J Fawcett, 8. T Beresford, 9. I Morgan 10. J Greig 11. J Cherry, 12. O Cicognini