Wibsey 46 Ossett 24

AFTER a dreadful start, with Wibsey falling 24-0 down after 23 minutes to visitors Ossett in their second round Yorkshire Vase tie, the hosts scored 46 unanswered points to book a home quarter-final against Wensleydale.

Man of the match Brad Wright was the hero, scoring a fine hat-trick of tries, but the battle between the two unbeaten sides in Yorkshire Division Four began in a very one-sided fashion.

South East leaders Ossett scored four tries and two conversions as they threatened to back up their 29-14 home victory over the Villagers last April in Yorkshire Division Four Premier.

Jake Drury ran the show that day for Ossett from fly half and he was doing the same from full back this time as North West front-runners Wibsey’s tackling looked paper thin.

Home prop Simon Birkbeck spilled the kick off and Wibsey were guilty of obstruction in the aftermath, which was soon followed by another penalty.

Drury accepted the easy points on offer to make it 3-0, and worse followed in the sixth minute when centre Luke Newsome weaved his way over from distance.

Full back Drury landed the extras to make it 10-0 and was soon going over himself in the 14th minute.

A show-and-go helped to part the hosts’ defence, which looked even more calamitous as two Wibsey players collided with each other after Drury had passed them.

Drury’s conversion made it 17-0 before a sublime chip over the top by Shaun Abson was collected on the full by Mark Fisher for a converted try that delighted the visitors.

Wibsey finally threatened when skipper Mark Darragh almost put back-rower Michael Kite through a gap. They kept possession though, and full back Wright cut through a hole to score on the right, with fly half Andy Robinson adding the conversion.

Wright’s long clearance kick from a tight angle helped Wibsey gain good ground in the 33rd minute, and they cashed in a minute later when Robinson slotted a penalty from in front of the posts.

The momentum was shifting, and when lock Marcus Grimes secured possession from a 39th-minute line-out, the pack drove superbly for 20 metres, with Darragh getting the touchdown.

Robinson missed the conversion, but the home side were back in the contest at 24-15 down.

Wibsey were in no mood to let Ossett off the hook in the second half, and a clever, precise kick brought them another try straight after the interval.

Drury was trying to cover a kick to Ossett’s left-hand corner, but Robinson went more central instead, catching the full back out of position.

This allowed Wright time and space to collect the ball and score, leaving Robinson with an easy conversion.

Wibsey’s next try in the 49th minute was a combination of interpassing and good fortune, with Wright going over from an inside pass in an unstructured attack to put the hosts ahead for the first time.

Robinson’s conversion made it 29-24, but the rest of the match was more untidy, with Dobbs having to call both captains over to try and restore calm.

There was no arguing when right winger Robson Moore went flying over after 58 minutes however, with Robinson again tagging on the extras.

Soon after, Wibsey rightly opted to land a penalty, with Robinson’s kick from between the 22-metre line and the 10-metre line putting them more than two scores ahead at 39-24.

The hosts were celebrating even more wildly in the 66th minute when Darragh finished off a nice move, with Robinson’s kick stretching the lead to its final margin of 22 points.

Wibsey's discipline was an issue throughout though, and they ended the match by conceding seven penalties in eight minutes. That could cost them in tighter games, even to the extent of yellow cards.

After the game, the influential Kite said: “We didn’t touch the ball early on, which was the reason for our slow start. They saw a lot of the ball and we lost our heads a bit.

“But once we got the ball, we played the type of rugby that we like to, and when we have that momentum we are difficult to stop.

“That second try just before half-time was important, but it must be remembered that a lot of our lads have come from rugby league and are still learning union.”

He added: “Promotion is the main aim this season, starting off by finishing in the top four in our section, but this was still a game that we wanted to win.”