Hull Ionians 10, Wharfedale 23

Wharfedale have joined Otley in the draw for the fourth round of the EDF Energy National Trophy after securing a comfortable 23-10 passage at Hull Ionians in near hypothermic conditions at a gale-lashed Brantingham Park yesterday.

Ionians were well-organised and resilient but eventually succumbed in the final half-hour to the greater power and know-how of the Wharfedale pack.

While the visitors can consider their performance a job largely and competently well done, their youthful opponents can reflect on a highly creditable competitive challenge.

They controlled possession for long periods, with exemplary pick-and-drive retention and enterprising mistake-free movement of the ball in the wet, challenging conditions.

But their hard-fought 10-5 interval lead downwind, consisting of an early James Ferguson penalty and his conversion of debutant centre Dan Waddy's clean break through the middle, never looked to be enough.

And so it proved once Wharfedale managed enough structure to their mixed kicking game to exploit possession in the attacking third of the field to add three well-taken tries to Alastair Allen's first-half score.

The Greens, for a while, mixed some risky deep running with the odd almost incidental probing long territorial kick for field position.

The buzzing energy of James Doherty kept Wharfedale going forward.

But it wasn't until a raking length-of-the-field kick from Luke Gray, which gained a corner-flag position, that a powerful, well-constructed catch-and-drive line-out secured a try for hooker Gavin Hindle.

Andy Baggett converted magnificently from the touchline to give the Dalesmen the lead at 12-10.

They got a replica position ten minutes later in the opposite corner and a replica outcome as veteran replacement flanker Dave Macult drove over for the match-deciding try, again converted imperiously by Baggett.

Now in command at 19-10, Wharfedale extended their advantage when winger Simon Horsfall - one of a plethora of replacements - followed up a long Gray kick which evaded the retreating home full back and touched down for the final score to round off a deserved cup victory.