Blaydon 20 Wharfedale 27

Mar 13 2011 Sunday Sun

FIVE minutes of madness midway through the first half condemned Blaydon to a ninth consecutive defeat and pushed them a step closer to a relegation place.

With Blaydon leading comfortably 10-0, fly-half Ed Yarnton had a clearance charged down, allowing Wharfedale, who had never been a threat, to pick up a simple seven points through Andrew Hodgson and a Tom Barrett conversion.

Having just recovered from the self-inflicted setback, Yarnton attempted another clearance from an almost identical spot and with the same result – the charge-down landing perfectly for Hodgson to again stroll in near the posts.

Earlier Tom Rock had got them under way with a try in the corner after a devastating break by Matt Clark, the centre holding off tackle after tackle on his way to the line.

Matt Mellish landed the conversion and then a brace of penalties to make it 13-12 at the interval when 13-0 would have been a more realistic scoreline.

Barrett put over a penalty in the early stages of the second period, but the visitors’ line was under constant pressure from the Blaydon pack who were encamped in the 22.

Three penalties were kicked to the corner and three times the ball was carried almost to the line, but the visitors resisted manfully and the effort came to nought.

Having survived the pressure Wharfedale broke out to again score against the run of play, Hodgson completing a fortuitous hat-trick and Barrett adding the points.

With the game still in the balance Blaydon flanker Robert Bell was yellow-carded and within seconds Wharfedale had secured a try bonus, Talite Vaioleti rampaging through a depleted defence.

Robbie Kalbraier crossed from close range late on to reduce the Blaydon deficit to seven points, but the first-half clangers were too big a handicap to pull back.