York Rugby Union Club first team travelled to Lockwood Park and found the Huddersfield side in prime form which enabled them to score 12 tries and run out 72-8 winners.

It would be easy to castigate York for ineptness but their only shortcomings were lack of size and speed.

Many less committed teams would have conceded a ton of points to the West Riding side, who gave an extraordinary display of handling and mobility in wet, heavy conditions, which the excellent referee Andrew Vertigan had considered only just satisfactory before allowing the game to start.

The foundation of the Huddersfield success was a heavy pack with a powerful back row linking with well-organised half-backs.

It was this combination that enabled winger Stephen Lynch to go close after a period of early York pressure. From a subsequent scrum, York were wheeled and Huddersfield player coach, No 8 Lafaele Filipo, picked up to storm over for an unconverted try.

Filipo scored again as fumbling on the York line enabled him to snatch a try which fly half James Switch converted.

Good line-out work by Chris Dempsey and Andy Kay enabled York to take the contest back to their opponents and Huddersfield conceded a penalty which Dirk Mulder converted from 30 yards out to make the score 12-3 after 15 minutes.

York were soon back in defence as 'Field's scrum half, Jeremy Tiffen, kicked deep to the York line where his forwards won the line-out and started an interpassing move which York only halted by conceding a penalty which was quickly taken for Swift to touch down and convert.

From the restart, Filipo burst 40 yards down the middle and full back Hugh Thorpe came into the line to score for Swift to convert.

This was shortly followed by Huddersfield's best effort when Tiffen kicked high out of defence. Winger Lynch followed up to tap the ball back into the hands of supporting flanker Hamish Pratt, who slipped the ball inside to Swift to score under the posts and make his conversion a formality.

York entered into the spirit of the fast-moving game by running the ball from set pieces when kicking for territory may have lightened up their burden. From one such foray, Swift picked up to kick his side to the York half. Filipo burst off a scrum to scatter all defenders to notch his hat-trick.

Just on half time York were unlucky to concede another try when a high Swift kick to the York line rebounded off the crossbar into the hands of Lynch for an easy touch down and an interval score of 43-3.

The second half followed a similar all-action pattern despite bursts of heavy rain.

After a deep kick by York into the Huddersfield half, they took a quick line out and swung the ball at speed across field for the pacy Lynch to dummy his way past York's bemused defence.

Five minutes later Filipo used his power to force his way over for a Swift converted try.

York's next rebuff was a soft try for flanker Dave Slater as a York relief kick was charged down. Swift could not convert but shortly after he broke clear to score his own converted try.

In between times York showed spirited resistance as they went on the attack despite having soaked up an enormous amount of defensive punishment.

With 10 minutes to go winger Dominic Young scored on the left after Lynch had attacked down the right.

This completed Huddersfield's 72 points but York were not finished and their forwards earned a just reward when, after several concerted launches, lock Simon Thornton burst over for a try too wide out for Mulder to convert.

Although the final whistle was an undoubted relief for York, they left the field with the admiration of the crowd for their courageous, wholehearted performance.

* Halifax maintained their leadership of North East Two with a 38-5 victory over Redcar.