Aireborough 28, West Leeds 40

Aireborough’s defence, which helped them to victories in their last two league games, was absent without leave in yesterday's EDF Energy Junior Vase fourth-round tie at Nunroyd Park.

The hosts started well against derby opponents who are only a place and a point above them in Yorkshire Division Three. Aire also finished well but the problem was the 50 minutes in between.

“It’s the same every week,” said Aireborough skipper James Druce. “We play for 20, 40 or 60 minutes but it is the 20 minutes that we don’t play that costs us the game.

“Defence had been our strong point in our previous two matches, where we only conceded 22 points in total.

“But we had a bad game here. Hopefully we can put it right next week when we play West Leeds in the league at their place, where we haven’t had a lot of luck in the past.”

Druce does not agree that the league match at Blue Hill Lane is more important.

He said: “Not in my eyes is it not important. It would have been nice to have had a cup run and get nearer to Twickenham – and I was in the side that lost in the last 16 to Baildon in the year that they reached the semi-finals.”

Aire are currently eighth in the table but Druce said that this year’s Yorkshire Division Three was not normal.

He said: “Normally there is a top group of two or three teams that have broken clear, a middle group and a bottom group but it isn’t like that this year.”

Hullensians, Barnsley, Hessle and West Park Leeds are the leading quartet but only five points separate Doncaster Phoenix in fifth and Baildon at the bottom in 12th.

Fly half James Stocker put Aireborough ahead with a seventh-minute penalty after West Leeds were offside and Druce then ran a great line off a Tom Holdsworth pass to score a fine try.

Although Stocker added a 20th-minute penalty, Aire’s defence was not solid enough and West Leeds ran in three tries by half-time by centre Sam Neave (2) and replacement William Pratt, winger Rob Smith converting all three.

Down 21-11 at the interval on a cold afternoon, Aire needed the first score of the second half but they did not get it, Smith crossing in the right corner.

Realising they were going to win, West Leeds got even more flamboyant, No 8 Matthew Finch storming over from distance and Neave completing his hat-trick, Smith improving both.

But Aire finished with a flourish themselves inside the final 20 minutes to give them hope for Saturday with tries by lock Tony Exley and No 8 Mark Howarth, Stocker converting both before adding a penalty.

Exley (professional foul) and Pratt (killing the ball) were both sin-binned but referee John Tomlinson from Ilkley, who was following play rather than the melee, took no action after a brawl towards the end of the first half.