Club swept aside in Green tidal wave (From News Shopper)

Club swept aside in Green tidal wave

6:05pm Sunday 14th March 2010 in

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Wharfedale 50 Blackheath 17

Club Director of Rugby Yusuf Ibrahim had predicted this would be a battle between the Wharfedale backs and the Blackheath forwards, and it was the Wharfedale backs that came out comprehensively on top.

With a stiff north-westerly making handling tough for both sides, the hosts' more intelligent kicking, and a confidence under the swirling high ball that Blackheath came nowhere close to matching, provided a platform for the Dalesmen's superiority. Indeed, when called upon the Wharfedale forwards too proved they were up to the task, countering the Club drives with interest.

Four first-half tries pretty much settled the issue for the Greens. On twelve minutes a cross-field kick from fly-half Mark Bedworth sat up for full-back Luke Gray to score, and shortly after Blackheath allowed turnover ball on their twenty-two for blind-side Latu Makaafi to score a second.

Quick ball off the top of a line-out was followed by terrific interplay between centres James Tincknell and Chris Malherbe, leading to a third, before flanker Dan Solomi added the fourth shortly before the interval.

For Blackheath, Dave Allen had been driven across for an early lead and at the start of the second period the Club open-side provided a repeat performance, this time off a scrum, to give the visitors a lifeline.

But Wharfedale simply upped the gas and continued to produce large numbers of Green shirts out wide. Bedworth, Tincknell and wing Simon Horsfall all added further scores before Martin Olima popped in, courtesy of a Matt Vaughan break, to give Blackheath some consolation. But even that was trumped by Malherbe's second which, with Bedworth's conversion, brought up the half century.

Blackheath take a week off next Saturday before travelling to Manchester in a fortnight.

Scorers: Wharfedale Tries: Gray, Makaafi, Malherbe 2, Solomi, Bedworth, Tincknell, Horsfall. Conv: Bedworth 5. Blackheath Tries: Allen 2, Olima. Conv: Humphries