A DAMNING forecast of 24 hours heavy rain put the nearest thing Tynedale have to a derby match in some doubt on Saturday.

A pitch inspection was organised at Wharfedale’s picturesque ground in the Yorkshire Dales, and to everyone’s relief, the green light was given for play to get under way.

And after a ding-dong battle honours were even after 80 minutes, giving Tynedale their second draw of the season.

The two points were enough to keep them in fifth place in National League Division Two North.

Tynedale were without talismanic skipper Matty Outson, with the impressive Callum Pascoe donning the number nine shirt, and lock Graeme Dunn taking on the captain’s role.

Eighteen-year-old Will Haydon Wood came into the centre for Will Miller and helped himself to a deserved try.

The lead changed hands several times, so a draw was probably a fair result.

It was Tynedale who were first off the mark, when fly half Jake Rodgers slotted a penalty on seven minutes when Wharfedale were ruled offside.

The lead lasted just two minutes, with home fly half Jack Blakeney-Edwards also on target from the tee.

A dropped ball in midfield put Tynedale under pressure, and excellent driving play from the Wharfedale pack following a line-out brought the first try of the afternoon from full back Harry Bullough, with Blakeney-Edwards converting for a 10-3 lead with 12 minutes gone.

Not for the first time this season, the Tynedale forwards started to dominate, and following a catch and drive from a penalty line-out, Wharfedale’s desperate and often illicit defence ended the patience of the referee, who awarded a penalty try to put Tynedale 13-10 up on 36 minutes.

But it was Wharfedale who led at the interval, after a clever grubber kick from Bullough earned a try for centre Jonny Moore, converted by Blakeney-Edwards to give the Yorkshiremen a narrow 17-13 advantage at the break.

And they extended their lead right at the start of the second half, when they turned down an easy three points from a penalty to go for touch. The gamble paid off, for the catch and drive from the line out ended with a try for flanker Matt Speres, and Blakeney-Edwards converting to give Wharfedale an ominous 24-13 lead.

Tynedale responded well though, with the forwards again coming up trumps with a drive from a line-out giving prop Liam Carmichael the try. That put Tynedale back in front at 27-24 with 23 minutes left.

Blakeney-Edwards brought things level with a penalty on the hour, and despite the best efforts of both sides, that concluded the scoring.

Tynedale return to Corbridge this Saturday to face more Yorkshire opposition in the form of Huddersfield, who are hovering uncomfortably in the drop zone, with only one win all season.

With the clocks having gone back last weekend, the game kicks off at 2pm at Tynedale Park.