Blackheath 27, Wharfedale 24

A year ago at the Rectory Field, Wharfedale were denied victory when a final-minute conversion hit the uprgight.

Yesterday they had to be content yet again with a losing National League One bonus point after a late rate rally just failed to wrestle the game back from the home side.

Had the Greens capitalised more clinically on their fine creative first-half play, they might well have sealed the match themselves by half-time.

But a series of excellent line breaks either lacked close enough support or failed through a poor final pass.

Instead it was Blackheath who led 20-9 at the break with three well-taken tries to none, with the Greens garnering only a trio of Tom Barrett penalties for their time spent hammering away at the home line.

No 8 James Catt collected the opening try with a pick-up from the back of a five-metre scrum converted by Adam Armstrong.

He was the instigator of the second as well when he freed winger Richard Bright on a tight blind-side finish, again from another close scrum - scores which clearly underlined the primary set-piece strength of the Blackheath game.

But with Wharfedale once more on the attack, a ricocheted pass rebounded in Bright’s path allowing him to hack clear and chase for a 70-yard breakaway score.

Wharfedale made light of a yellow card to scrum half Phil Woodhead and a string of injuries, but the second half looked to be belonging to the home side as they tightened their game and added a bonus point try by scrum half Jack Walsh to lead 27-12 on the hour.

But a stirring final rally by Wharfedale, which produced tries first for Barrett with a neat collection of his own chip forward, and then Dan Solomi with a trademark burst from the ruck and scuttle for the line was enough to force Blackheath to weather a nervous finish but not deprive them of a hard-earned win.