IF the match had kicked off at ten to four rather than three o'clock, we might have had a game on our hands at Ram Stadium.

However, the first half was not merely a curtain-raiser to the real thing and, unfortunately for York Wasps, counted towards the final scoreline.

By the start of the second half, therefore, the match was effectively over, with Dewsbury Rams six tries to the good and 34-0 up.

The fact the Wasps came back out with their heads still up has to be a positive, as has the fact they made a contest out of that second half. Indeed, it was not a case of the Rams taking their foot off the pedal; rather a case of the Wasps improving their game.

However, these positives do not disguise the fact Leo Epifania's men again made too many errors, especially in that first half.

Against Hunslet last week, such mistakes weren't often punished, but against a rejuvenated Dewsbury Rams side with aspirations of a top six finish, they were. And how.

Every one of the Rams' first-half tries was a result, either direct or indirect, of a Wasps blunder. Whether it was from a needless penalty, a knock-on or a missed tackle, the Wasps allowed Dewsbury too much possession in the wrong half of the field and hence they scored at regular intervals.

In between times, York were a match for the home team and, for a 20-minute period after the interval, it was hard to tell who were ahead and who had not won a league game all season.

However, like in any sport, those who play well throughout the whole contest - not just in fits and starts - more often than not end up victorious. Those who don't, don't.

And York will only break their long losing run if they maintain high concentration levels for the entire match and cut out the lapses.

The day didn't start well for Wasps as centre Carl Hall was a late withdrawal with a groin strain. This led to a reshuffle of the back line, with Michael Forbes being drafted on to the wing, only to get injured himself early on.

The match, on the other hand, began brightly enough when from York's first attack, full-back Ben Sorbello went close down the left, only to try a miracle scoring pass rather than keep a hold and start again.

Dewsbury went ahead soon after, however, when a short pass by impressive stand-off Carl Briggs saw Ryan Hardy avoid the tackle and steam-roll through Sorbello to open the scoring.

At this stage there was still no sign of a rout, as a great tackle by Gavin Molloy stopped Jim Elston in his tracks, while at the other end the Wasps' winger just failed to reach a grubber kick by ex-Dewsbury half-back Mark Cain.

That Cain was still on the field by this time was an achievement in itself given that, minutes earlier, he was the victim of an apparent off-the-ball head-butt by former team-mate Jim Leatham.

Maybe the Rams' second row was frustrated at dropping the ball, maybe he thought he was a real ram. Either way, he should have been sent off or at least put on report, but it went unpunished.

The referee, fair enough, was facing the other way, but how the touch judge failed to spot the incident just yards from where he was facing was ridiculous.

Anyway, the Rams were soon to score again as a long pass to the left found full-back Nathan Batty, who broke a tackle to touch down.

That score came after the normally immaculate Sorbello had fumbled a bouncing kick to give away a scrum 20 yards out, while the Rams' next try was an 85-yard interception effort resulting from a desperate long pass on the sixth tackle.

A grubber kick into the Rams' goal area would have been the better option but, as it was, the pass was flicked on by Jamie Benn only to go loose and be picked up by Hardy. He fed his winger, George Mack, to sprint clear and score.

Leatham then exploited a big gap to give a scoring pass to Paul Hicks to increase the lead, while player-coach Andy Fisher tunnelled over after winger Adrian Flynn had sprinted clear only to be felled just short.

Fisher then set up Chris Kitching to walk in the last try of the half, the only one so far that Briggs failed to convert.

With Dewsbury breaking through midfield all too easily, there was the fear a real walloping was on the cards. But Wasps upped their game after the break and it took Rams 15 minutes to score again, Mick Wainwright crossing in the corner.

Wasps hit back, though, as Jonny Liddell made the break from halfway and passed to supporting skipper Peter Edwards. He slipped the ball to the onrushing Mick Ramsden, who scored, Benn converting.

Soon after, however, a training ground move saw the ball go to Rams' speed-merchant, Mack, from a scrum and he sped away from inside his own half to the corner.

With ten minutes left, Sorbello stopped Leatham, who otherwise would have scored, but the Rams were still to have the last word as they worked the overlap for Flynn to touch down, Briggs converting.

Dewsbury Rams

T: Hardy (4), Batty (14), Mack (20, 63), Hicks (25), Fisher (29), Kitching (33), Wainwright (54), Flynn (73). C: Briggs 6.

Dewsbury Rams: Batty, Mack, Hardy, Kitching, Flynn, Briggs, Elston, Hicks, Speak, Fisher, Leatham, Parker, Slater.

Subs (all used): Wainwright, Redfern, Roberts, Fella.

Sent off: None.

Sin-binned: None.

York Wasps

T: Ramsden (60). C: Benn.

York Wasps: Sorbello 6, Forbes 6, Moore 6, Benn 6, Molloy 6, Liddell 7, Cain 7, Precious 6, Edwards 7, Hill 6, Docherty 6, Ramsden 6, Lee 6.

Subs (all used): Kirke 7, Deakin 7, Yeaman 6, Crake 6.

Sent off: None.

Sin-binned: None.

HT: 34-0.Referee: Steve Nicholson (Whitehaven).Att: 895

Updated: 10:54 Monday, March 04, 2002