National League Two North: Otley 39 Wharfedale 27

EVEN Otley's director of rugby Peter Clegg received a round of applause as he made for their changing room after victory in this incident-filled derby.

After an awful opening six minutes, in which they had flanker Jack Scott Paul sin-binned and conceded ten points, the home side ran in six tries to get off the mark for the season in convincing fashion.

However, one of the major talking points afterwards was the double dismissal of Otley prop Kivalu Tipiloma and Wharfedale lock George Hedgley in the 67th minute after a flurry of punches that wouldn't have disgraced Golovkin and Brook on Saturday night.

Wharfedale may have had that early boost, but little else went right for them as, apart from having Hedgley – one of their key players – sent off, they lost Tom Barrett to a foot injury in the 20th minute and were generally bossed about in the pack, conceding two penalty tries as they sank to the bottom of the fledgling league table with no points after two matches.

A Barrett penalty and his conversion of flanker Lewis Wilson's fifth-minute try did not prove to be the starting point for Green Machine dominance, and it didn't help them that Yorkshire Carnegie loanee Jordon Poole was unavailable on the sidelines as he was needed on the bench for their Championship clash against Nottingham yesterday.

"We would take that opening ten minutes back if we could but we scored some smashing tries," said a delighted Clegg.

"We had control up front, Jack Mackie was influential in the backs, and scrum half Max Johnson also did well.

"But we do feel sorry for Kivalu. He should not have reacted, and we don't condone punching, but he was being punched himself."

Wharfedale's director of rugby James Doherty, meanwhile, cut a disconsolate figure after the game, sitting near the halfway line with his knees drawn up to his chest.

After composing himself, he said: "I am bitterly disappointed to be second best in a Yorkshire derby.

"Our set-piece was not good and sides know where our weakness is.

"We have one or two irons in the fire in terms of recruitment but the answer is also hard work.

"Yes, we lost Tom Barrett injured but we are not a one-man team."

Although flanker Rob Baldwin scored Wharfedale's second try with his second involvement in the move in the 15th minute, James Guy converting after Barrett was injured in the build-up and later adding a penalty which put them 20-12 ahead, Otley increasingly held sway in the final 30 minutes of the first half.

Kivalu put them on the board with a try in the ninth minute, and to that they added tries by left winger Alex Beaumont and centre Mackie, plus the first penalty try, full back Tom Hodson converting two.

Trailing 24-20 at half-time, the Dalesmen were only able to add a try by Barrett's replacement Harry Bullough in the second half, Guy converting, as Otley scored a second penalty try, plus a second try for man of the match Mackie, and a penalty and a conversion for Hodson.