LATE withdrawals, snow and a heavy pitch made for an interesting afternoon as Wharfedale travelled to Hull on Saturday.

Wharfedale started well and from an early scrum penalty in the seventh minute went into the lead of 0-3 when Tom Davidson converted the kick.

Continued pressure from Wharfedale saw another penalty awarded in the 15th minute from a lineout but the kick fell short.

Hull Ionians committed multiple penalties during this period but Wharfedale were unable to convert indiscipline into points.

In the 25th minute Ionians were awarded a lineout on Wharfedale 10m line and from the resulting driving maul spun the ball quickly to Lewis Minikin who crossed the line just left of the posts for the first try which he converted to make the score 7-3.

Hull Ionians were now in the ascendancy and in the 31st minute a lost ball in contact was hacked through and recycled quickly from right to left for winger Nathan Hill to cross the line, the conversion was missed making the score 12-3 at half time.

The conditions in the second half were such that it was touch and go if the match would continue and the only score was a late penalty by Lewis Minikin making the final score 15-3.

Whilst all the squad played their hearts out, man of the match was awarded to Max Mountain.

All the travelling fans wish Chris Jackson a speedy recovery from a nasty knee injury in the second half requiring hospital treatment.

After the match, Coach Jon Feeley commented: "As a coach you learn very little about the technical side of your team in such conditions, you only learn about the character and we showed we have plenty of that.

"The result came down to the first quarter when the pitch was just playable, past then it was a lottery. What’s most important this week is managing the players through this difficult period of injuries. We all wish Chris Jackson a speedy recovery after becoming the latest to join the list for our incredible medical team to work on. I’d like to thank the supporters who made the long journey across to support both ourselves and the U15s in the toughest of conditions.

" It was a fantastic club effort.

Unfortunately, Wharfedale Foresters' tie with Driffield had to postponed due to heavy snow.

Wharfedale's first team return to action on Saturday at home to Luctonians.

Dale will want to get back to winning ways, but they face a tough task on Saturday. Luctonians are a strong outfit and currently occupy seventh spot in the league standings.

As for the Foresters,they also return to action on Saturday when they travel to York.