MAN of the match Josh Waite scored the clincher as Pool earned a hard-fought victory against local rivals Otley Town in an entertaining and eventful Wharfedale & District FA Challenge Cup Final at Nethermoor on Sunday.

Robert Cross put Pool ahead early on after he converted Tom Fleming's perfect low centre from the right hand side but the West Yorkshire Association Premier Division side did not hold onto their lead for long.

Pool's regular goalkeeper Andy Doey was suspended and although his replacement Christopher Brodie generally performed well on Sunday, it was his handling error that led to an equaliser for the Division Two outfit.

Otley have a raft of red-hot strikers at the moment, and it was the prolific Luke Stainthorpe who capitalised to make it 1-1 at half-time.

A large crowd watched both sides struggle for supremacy as chances were created at either end in what was a totally committed derby game.

Gradually though, Pool took command as the second half wore on. Richard Bull placed a clever shot past the keeper to restore their advantage before Waite headed home another fine Fleming cross to make it 3-1.

Otley continued to press forward but could not breakthrough again, leaving Pool as the deserved victors.

Pool had previously won this Challenge Cup in 2005 and 2014 and they could now add a third success to their collection. Their captain Jordan Wagstaff was the grateful recipient of the coveted trophy.

Yeadon Athletic ran out comfortable winners in the weekend's other big cup final in the region, with their experience telling as they beat a brave Ilkley Town U-18s side 5-1 in the Wharfedale & District FA Sunday Cup.

Scott Norton netted early on for Yeadon, but their young opponents battled back gamely to equalise soon after. However that was one of few chances that they created throughout the contest.

Eventually, it was Yeadon's Karl Firth who stole the show. He scored a fantastic hat-trick to put the game beyond Ilkley's reach and a further goal by Norton added further gloss to the final score.

A spirited Ilkley team battled to the end and showed why their hard work had got them to this final for the first time. Yeadon had never won this trophy either since its inauguration in 1979, but they broke that duck in spectacular fashion.