Setback for Wharfedale

Birmingham and Solihull 27

Wharfedale 12

Wharfedale's hopes of building on their recent run of form took a nose-dive in the Midlands where they were out-muscled by the home pack and failed to score a try for the sixth time in 17 league games this season, writes Keith Lewis.

Solihull may be the more genteel locality in the host club's twin town title but there was nothing too sophisticated about the surroundings or the rugby served up at the headquarters of Birmingham and Solihull RUFC.

The spectator facilities at Sharmans Cross Road are rather basic with no covered or hard-standing areas and so it is hardly surprising that the team is a no-frills outfit built on the Midlands principle that if you can't trample the opposition into submission then at least you can bore them to death. The Brummies had the last laugh of course because it proved an effective strategy against a somewhat lack-lustre Wharfedale outfit.

Back in October Wharfedale kick-started their own season with a fiery 27-5 cup win against Birmingham and Solihull at Threshfield. They repeated the success a fortnight later in the league, winning a closer game 22-12 thanks to a penalty try. Before this third meeting Birmingham and Solihull had lost three in a row with the Greens having a 100 per cent record in the same period and so the large Dales contingent present had every reason to expect something from the game.

The fact that nothing materialised prompted various post-match explanations from supporters - perhaps a dip in form, a touch of complacency, the debatable effect of interrupting a successful run with a free Saturday as was the case the previous week, the strength of the opposition or an unusual lack of empathy with match officials? Most likely it was a combination of all of them.

Birmingham and Solihull had a side largely made up of recruits from Coventry, Moseley and Rugby and were well led by their captain Julian Hyde, a 6ft 5inch, 18 stone lock in the engine room of the Brummy battleship. The Greens made two changes to the team which started the game against Liverpool St Helens, Mick Harrison taking over the centre slot vacated by rugby leaguer Andy Hodgson and prop Richard Lancaster getting the nod ahead of John Metcalfe.

The Dalesmen made a lively start as No 8 Charlie Vyvyan claimed the first lineout and lock David Lister drove from the ensuing maul. Open-side Hedley Verity, playing his 130th league game for the Greens, continued with an aggressive 15-metre scamper into the Brum defence and an offside decision gave fly-half David Pears the chance to make it 3-0. Almost immediately from the restart Verity put the home defence under more pressure when he charged down a clearance. Lister took the resulting lineout comfortably and as Pears ran infield the Birmingham and Solihull defence were up far took quickly, giving the fly-half another penalty and the Greens a 6-0 lead after only four minutes.

Within the space of 10 minutes the home side were ahead 10-6 after a penalty by their fly-half Matt Birch and a converted try which left Wharfedale slightly bemused but uncomplaining. Birmingham and Solihull counter-attacked from deep and when their fullback Craig Quick failed to take a pass cleanly in the Wharfedale '22' the ball went high and forward before he collected it again five paces later and ran unopposed to ground the ball between the posts. Undeterred the Dalesmen continued to press forward with Lancaster and hooker John Lawn prominent.

Pears landed two more penalties from three attempts and was rather unfortunate to be denied a try for a forward pass when a clever loop around flanker Russ Buckroyd left him in the clear. With the Greens leading 12-10 after 40 minutes and no major interruptions to play Birmingham and Solihull worked an attacking position on the right and play continued for a further four minutes until they were awarded another slightly bizarre try.

The home pack swarmed over the line following a lineout and as the ball dropped clear the referee appeared to raise his arm for a try several seconds before Birmingham and Solihull prop Richard Mee reacted and touched down.

To compound Wharfedale's problems Birch landed a splendid conversion and the whistle went for half-time.

The score remained at 17-12 for the next 30 minutes as the Dalesmen threw everything into attack but failed to press home several opportunities, the closest of which resulted in Lancaster being mauled over but failing to ground the ball.

In spite of poor service Pears produced moments of magic as he ran at the home defence and Verity worked tirelessly to inspire a breakthrough, but the heavy Birmingham and Solihull pack refused to be budged and Wharfedale's frustration grew. Birch added three more valuable points when Greens' prop Neil Dickinson was penalised for a front row infringement and with five minutes remaining the Greens conceded another score in controversial circumstances. The opposition had not retired when Lawn received the ball from a tap penalty on halfway and his pass was intercepted by the appropriately named Quick who was allowed to race away for a converted try which flattered the home side and left Wharfedale with some problems to solve before tomorrow's home game against Rosslyn Park, ko 2.15pm.

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