Outnumbered, outgunned: Wharfedale power home

By minx2012
January 4 2007

The Falcons travelled to Wharfedale on Friday for a special match against Ian Peel's old club as part of his testimonial year. But a spirited squad and equally tempestuous weather beat Newcastle's development team 22-12.

The promotion of Ben Duncan to the starting line-up, in place of Tom Dillon, meant the Falcons backline was re-jigged, with skipper Shaw moving to 10, Sparks to 12 and Tait Jnr to 13 (funny, that). Meanwhile a strong Wharfedale 15 was bolstered by no less than 12 players on the bench.

While Flood’s kicking was superb against Sale three days earlier, it was to be Dale’s night for luck with the boot. With Newcastle’s opening kick of the night, the ball wobbled into the air before trickling back down and dribbling woefully across the ground for Dale to collect.

Newcastle regained possession only when Dale were well into their half, but knocked on almost instantly. The five-metre scrum gave fly-half Andrew Baggett an easy path to the try line, and Dale no 12 Mark Bedworth converted to get Wharfedale on the scoreboard within the first ten minutes.

Big hits and plenty of bulldozing from the forwards was in order, although possibly not of the kind Robbie Morris engaged in when taking exception to one of Dale’s pack using Joe Shaw as a boot cleaner.

Fullback Ben Duncan and wing James Hamer were to be applauded for their constant efforts to get the ball upfield for Newcastle with some electric running – and a couple of cracking bombs which they chased well - but the greasy conditions and a lack of support meant several attempts were frustrated.

Dale were pinged for crossing close to the Newcastle 10-yard line and Mike McCarthy’s powerful run set up Tim Visser for a Falcons try just on the half-hour. Shaw’s nightmare with the boot continued as his conversion went both wide and short.

Mike McCarthy lead the charge again after the restart, determined to get the Falcons camping at the right end of the pitch, but sloppy passing from Sparks, then Shaw, wiped out any gains made.

It was only a knock-on that prevented Wharfedale from getting another 5 points - but Sparks’ attempt to clear the ball went horribly short, and from just ten metres out second row David Lister ploughed through a gappy defence to secure the home side’s second try of the night. A missed conversion meant the hosts had to be content going in 12-5 up at half-time.

With the break came the welcome return to the pitch of Jonny Wilkinson, part-coaching, part-playing for one of the U-12 sides in the touch tournament, Matt Burke offering advice and a slightly less hands-on approach to Wilkinson’s opponents.

There were calls from the crowd for the overly enthusiastic Wilkinson to be penalised as he took one player out by practically piggy-backing him off the pitch, while another was high tackled and dumped (quite gently, mind you) on a rolled-up pitch cover in the opposite corner.

The second half began promisingly enough, with some good running and passing moving the Falcons further up the pitch – but each time a knock-on or fumbled catch brought them back to where they’d started.

It was at this point the weather really turned.

In the first half there had been a wee bit of drizzle, but this was monsoon weather, instantly drenching everyone not in the grandstand on the clubhouse side of the pitch or the covered terracing on the other.

The play became much scrappier, and Wharfedale benefited. They had been bossing the Falcons all night in the set-piece, and it was from yet another scrum that they reaped the spoils when scrum-half James Doherty got their third try of the night, about twenty minutes in, Bedworth converting to take the score to 19-5.

Once more the Falcons fought back, with the forwards doing their best to secure some decent ball. Tim Visser took advantage of this, only to fumble near the tryline.

A few minutes later replacement Cameron Johnston made up for Visser’s bad luck by crossing the line under the posts, and Shaw’s only successful kick of the night took the visitors to 12 points - within seven of the hosts - with just two minutes to go.

But Wharfedale weren’t finished, and when Falcons were pinged for being offside 40m out, Man of the Match Mark Bedworth didn’t hesitate in going for the posts.

It would have been all over but for the mystery of the small, grey and balding, slightly rounded chap who had appeared in the Falcons number 11 shirt.
Whoever he was, he’d left his appearance way too late to assist the Falcons, making only a few short runs before the final whistle blew.