A FINE hat-trick from left wing Guy Pike steered Tynedale to a deserved win over a game but outgunned Huddersfield on Saturday.

The Yorkshiremen finished in fourth spot in North Division Two last season - a place above Tynedale - after getting the better of their hosts both home and away.

But Huddersfield went home empty handed, despite dominating the second period, as a determined Tynedale defence kept them out in a 33-18 victory. 

There were unfamiliar faces in the back division for Tynedale, with debuts going to full back Josh Tate, and right wing Alex Dryden, and both acquitted themselves well.

Rory Cramb also got a rare first team outing in the centre, while 19-year-old Callum Pascoe impressed at scrum half.

Pascoe linked up well with fly half Jake Rodgers, who scored a try and converted four of Tynedale’s five touchdowns

The pack played well as a unit, and there were eye-catching moments from number eight Ethan Clarke and flanker Ben Bell.

There was a melancholy air around Tynedale Park, as fans were still coming to terms with England’s World Cup final hammering at the hands of South Africa that morning, and the dark drizzly day did little to lift the gloom.

However, Tynedale started brightly enough, and turned down an easy penalty after just two minutes to go for touch. The gamble was rewarded when Rodgers went over from the line out, before converting his own try. Huddersfield came back with a Will Milner penalty on six minutes, after the hosts had failed to release the ball in the tackle in front of their own posts.

Drydean made an excellent break into the 22 on nine minutes, but the opportunity fizzled out. On 13 minutes good handling from a scrum sent Pike in for his first try. Rodgers’ kick went across the face of the posts but Tynedale led 12-3.

Back came the Yorkshire side, who attacked strongly to carve out a huge overlap on the left, which brought an unconverted try for left wing Ross Whitmore on 20 minutes.

Tynedale came straight back, refusing another penalty in front of the posts straight from the restart. Again the strategy worked, as from the line out, the Tynedale forwards probed hard before Pascoe wriggled over for the third try. Rodgers converted for a 19-8 lead. Pike grabbed the bonus point try just before half time with a break from inside his own half which took him through several tackles on his way to the line. Rodgers’ conversion made it 26-8 at the interval.

Huddersfield number eight Dickie Piper crashed over 10 minutes into the second half to give the visitors hope, but Pascoe and Rodgers combined well on the hour to send in Pike for his hat-trick, Rodgers converted for a 33-13 lead.

Huddersfield dominated territorially for the remainder of the game, but struggled to find a way through Tynedale’s solid defence until right wing Kian Stewart found a gap on 73 minutes. The visitors pressed hard for a fourth try to earn a deserved bonus point, but their efforts proved fruitless. The win keeps Tynedale in fifth place in National League DivisionTwo North, on 29 points.

Tynedale are at home to Yorkshire opposition again on Saturday, when high-flying Sheffield Tigers are the visitors. The Tigers lie third in the table on 30 points, winning six of their nine games.The game follows Tynedale’s annual past players’ lunch.