Wibsey 18, Sheffield Oaks 22

When Wibsey’s players emerged from the traditional ‘tunnel’ formed by their opponents at the end of the match, their faces were a picture of disappointment.

Having won their first away game for three seasons two weeks ago, they were expecting to win this match against cellar dwellers Sheffield Oaks.

And the fact that the hosts came away with a bonus point mattered little.

Wibsey coach Dave Grayson said: “Last season we would have been happy with a bonus point from a game like this – but not any more.

“We are trying to get away from being a social club to being a proper rugby club.

“We had 20 players on duty for this match and that is the first time we have done that for a long time.

“We had 15 players down to training on Tuesday and we took 16 over to Heath on Thursday for a training session.

“Last season we would only have had four, five or six training on a cold October night.”

Things may be up the upward curve at Wibsey but it still did not stop Grayson being disappointed with Saturday’s result.

Wibsey played up the Beldon Lane slope first and Grayson said: “The idea was to stay in contention in the first half and then bring on Adam Dutton and Mark Carter as impact players in the second half.”

Wibsey were only 10-3 adrift at half-time and even the Oaks try was scored in the 36th minute.

But the hosts then suffered the hammer blow of allowing the visitors to score a converted try in the first minute of the second half.

The visitors added another try in the 68th minute but Wibsey finished the match so strongly – with tries by talismanic skipper James Birkbeck and winger Mark Gregory, created by centre Matt Holdsworth – they felt that if the contest had gone on for a further ten minutes they would have won it.

Oaks too often got on the wrong side of referee David Brooksbank, lock Robert Mudd, hooker David Terrington and full back Daniel Blythe all being sin-binned for persistent ruck offences, but Wibsey never really cashed in.

Moving running full back Bryn Worsley to fly half in the closing stages certainly worked for them but overall they failed to sustain pressure in Oaks’ 22.

Scrum half Elliott Gray had put Wibsey ahead with a 15th-minute penalty, Oaks fly half Joe Henson levelling in kind 11 minutes later before centre Damien Roberts scored for them, Henson converting.

Terrington got the killer try early in the second half. Gray then kicked a penalty before lock Paul Almond scored for Oaks in the 68th minute, Henson again converting.