A towering performance from prop forward Mick Wormald guided Wyke to a 30-18 victory against Pennine League Division Two basement boys West Leeds at Towngate.
The black and whites fell behind when the visitors hoisted a huge bomb into their red zone and, contrary to the coaching manuals, they allowed the ball to bounce into the arms of scrum half Andy Boot, who crossed with ease, leaving hooker Ryan McCabe a simple conversion.
The setback spurred the hosts into action as they bombarded the line, only to see Wormald held inches short. Fellow prop Warren Pitman was denied in similar fashion shortly after.
A short flat pass sent second row forward Ash Hutchinson racing over the whitewash and Wormald added the extras to bring matters level.
Anyone who thought that this match was an end of season formality was mistaken as the tackles flew in thick and fast and it was Wyke who took a deserved 12-6 lead into the interval when hooker Ian Watkinson produced a smart offload from the ruck to put loose forward Dean Smith over, with Wormald once again on target.
A scything 50-metre run from stand-off James Dewhirst set up field position for scrum half Sam Kittsen to shrug off three defenders at the side of the posts for a converted effort but the Leeds side bounced back straight from the kick off when Boot exploited Wyke’s reluctance to collect another high up and under, enabling him to cross with ease.
Wyke were reduced in number when substitute Trevor West was sent to the sin bin for punching but they made light of the setback when Watkinson spotted an opportunity on the blind side to put Hutchinson over for his brace.
Wormald, who never missed a conversion all afternoon, was on target again but the over generous hosts gave the visitors a further lifeline when they fell asleep at the restart and full back Liam Copeland side stepped his way to the chalk.
At 24-18 West Leeds full of fire and brimstone were back in the hunt and on course for at least a draw but their hopes were dashed when Wormald, a clear man of the match by a country mile, showed his dominance on the proceedings by collecting a shrewd Watkinson inside pass to power in at the side of the uprights to ensure that Wyke rightfully collected the spoils.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here