Wharfedale ended their league campaign on a sparkling high, completing a derby double over Otley with a comprehensive 5 tries to 2 victory.

This was no meaningless end-of-season game. Otley were fighting for National One survival – 4 successive wins had left them still needing at least 2 points to be sure of safety. As the match progressed, the attention of home fans and coaching staff was increasingly turning to news from Sedgley Park where, in a conveniently earlier kick-off, relegation rivals Newbury were losing.

Midway through the second half a 51-40 result from Sedgley filtered through. Relief for home fans was manifest, for by now the Greens had an almost complete stranglehold on the game, penning Otley inside their own half for prolonged periods, and always looking the more likely to add to further points.

The opening exchanges were predictably fiercely fought out and for the bulk of the first half the home pack had an edge in the set-pieces. They took an early scrum against the head and were solid in line-outs – twice adding Greens’ ball to their own.

But behind the packs it was a different story, with the Dalesmen’s back division, enjoying fast service from teenage scrum-half Philip Woodhead and his equally influential half-back partner Mark Bedworth, regularly cutting holes in the Otley defence.

The pattern of scoring in a generally even half, territorially, was significant. The Greens collected 3 tries – an opportunist break-away (Woodhead (9 mins), from Dan Solomi’s hack ahead), plus two splendidly worked moves (winger James Tincknell  (22), made by Woodhead’s snap tap penalty, and centre Chris Malherbe (33), fed by Bedworth) – against a single push-over try for the hosts (lock Alex Ball (28)). A brace of penalties by Otley stand-off James Murray, and one conversion by Bedworth left the Greens with a 13-17 advantage at half-time.

Wharfedale launched a wave of attacks at the outset of the second half, going close to scoring 3 times before Woodhead, collecting a neat flicked pass from skipper Rob Baldwin at the base of a scrum, bewildered the Otley defence with a startling dummy and weave to the line (47), leaving a straightforward conversion for Bedworth.

Five minutes later Bedworth’s 40-metre penalty stretched the lead to 13-27, and though Otley rallied to force a second push-over try, claimed by flanker Richard Beck (60) there was now little likelihood of other than a Wharfedale victory, such was the overall level of control imposed by the visitors.

Bedworth capped an impressive personal performance by adding 8 late points – an interception try, from half-way (72), and a penalty (77) to seal the win.

Otley: C Georgiou; J Twomey (J White 45), O Denton, J Baker, C Wilson; J Murray, S Depledge; A Blades, G Warner (B Steele 52), C Quigley, T O’Donnell (J Quinn 66), A Ball (B Morris 40), R Beck, C Walker, O Stedman.

Wharfedale: L Gray; J Tincknell, C Malherbe, A Hodgson, I Dixon (S Horsfall 75); M Bedworth, P Woodhead; B Fear (J Altham 63), M Chivers (S Graham 75), C Steel, O Renton, R Rhodes (A Allen 60), L Maka’afi (R Brown 75), D Solomi, R Baldwin.

Referee: Andrew Taylorson.