Wath 24 Thorne 13

Wath were looking for a win to help wipe out the memory of their defeat at Thorne earlier in the season. The opening five minutes saw the home side with all the possession and were rewarded with a try by centre, Anthony Barratt, as he crossed the line untouched. Jack Whitlam’s conversion gave Wath a 7-0 lead.

Knowing the character of the away team, it was no surprise that they responded with great determination. They put Wath under intense pressure which resulted in a try from close range after fifteen minutes. The conversion was missed but, at 7-5, they had signalled their intentions.

Soon after the restart a messy Wath line out on halfway allowed Thorne to break away and score a second try. Thorne now had a 7-10 advantage as the kick drifted wide and their efforts not to get involved in the relegation battle were looking promising.

A period of play followed when both teams made lots of handling errors, but Thorne were on the scoreboard again to make it 7- 14 with a simple penalty on the half hour mark.

There was no further score before half time as Wath continued to make too many errors.

The second half brought a far more dominant performance from the home team. Power from the forwards and more accuracy with the boot allowed Wath to have almost total territorial advantage. This resulted in Wath scoring tries regularly through the half. The first came after 50 minutes when the referee awarded a penalty try as a 5 metre scrum collapsed when Wath were grinding relentlessly forward. Wath had regained the lead 14-13 as the conversion was given.

Stubborn, abrasive defence by Thorne kept Wath at bay but, on 65 minutes, hooker, Bobby Lazenby, touched down as the pack helped drive him over the line. Although the conversion drifted wide, Wath had moved the score on to 19-13.

With minutes to go Wath sealed the win and a bonus point when prop James McCarthy capped a powerful scrummaging display by diving over the line. A missed conversion meant a 24 – 13 win. Despite a dogged effort by the visitors this try put the end to any hopes of a Thorne victory and also denied them a bonus point.

Conditions were difficult for both teams, but Wath’s improved second half performance ensured a win to the home team.

Next weekend Wath travel to league leaders, Pontefract, who themselves will be looking for revenge after Wath’s home win back in October.

Steve Corns