Wharfedale progressed to the 2nd round of the Yorkshire Cup with, ultimately, a convincing enough victory over their old rivals. But, had Harrogate made a wiser choice of options during a period of second-half pressure on the Greens’ line, the final score might well have been closer.

However, the Dalesmen should, in truth, have had the game sewn up in the first half, but squandered chances left them with just a tenuous 8-0 advantage at the interval. Dominant in the mauls, the forwards twice advanced smoothly to the home line from line-outs, only for last-ditch errors to deny them what had seemed certain tries.

Not until the 35th minute, in their 3rd assault, did they perfect the simple finish that previous efforts had lacked, flanker Latu Maka’afi emerging with the ball.

Fly-half Luke Gray had given the visitors a perfect start with a 2nd-minute penalty clearance.

Mark Bedworth (on for Gray) missed with a penalty chance early in the second half, and the Greens soon had their minds concentrated on the possibility of a Harrogate recovery, home skipper Ed Smithies just failing to reach a penetrating grubber kick through the Greens’ defence.

Apart from a break by Dan Solomi at the end of the third quarter, which ended with a penalty chance on the ‘22’ ­– pushed wide of the posts by Bedworth – Wharfedale were forced on the defensive for much of the remainder of the match. They dealt efficiently with all their hosts’ increasingly desperate attacks on the try-line – making the choice of penalties to touch on 3 occasions when 3 points were there for the taking all the more puzzling for home fans.

Even with Solomi off to a yellow card (persistent offside), Harrogate could make no serious impression on the Greens’ defence. Their commitment to attack left them exposed to a rapid break-out by the Wharfedale backs, culminating in Maka’afi’s second try (74 mins), well-converted by Bedworth, and sealing the result.

Wharfedale: I Dixon (A Whaites 45); S Horsfall, J Tincknell, A Hodgson, D Hall; L Gray (M Bedworth 45), D Matthews (S Cottrell 45); T Horner (A Mason 57), M Chivers (S Graham 57), N Dickinson (N Clarke 57), R Brown (C Howick 70), L Maka’afi, D Solomi, R Baldwin.