The current strength in depth of the Wasps squad meant that last year’s first team regulars Kate Birchall and Lauren Harkness were able to start on the bench.

There was no score in the first fifteen minutes before the Wasps took the lead in slightly strange circumstances. York had a lineout close to their own line, and won the ball, but Wasps No.2 Holly Howard who had only joined the lineout at the last minute to make up the numbers, was through quickly and got the touchdown. 5v0.

This started a run of twenty two points in nine minutes.

Wasps No.8 Laura Mason, who had an excellent game, gathered the kick off and set off on a powerful run. When she was stopped the ball was recycled, for Hayley Hodgson to power through for the try, but touched down too far out for a successful conversion. 10v0.

Outside half Tamar Benson gathered the kickoff and made a break, but Kendal were penalised. York ran the ball, but solid Kendal defence, turned the ball over, and the ball came to Hayley Hodgson who ran in her second try in three minutes, this time scoring under the posts for Tamar Benson to convert. 17v0.

The rush of scoring was finished a few minutes later when York opened their scoring with a try from close range. 17v5

Like the first fifteen minutes of the half, the last fifteen remained scoreless, with a number of stoppages for treatment for injuries.

Hayley Hodgson got her third try ten minutes in to the second half, after good Wasps build up play, with another good run from No.8 Laura Mason, and then Tamar Benson breaking the York defence. 24v5

Five minutes later the Wasps had a fifth try. A Hayley Hodgson break in mid-field was followed by a long kick through from Tamar Benson. Lauren Harkness, who had come on as a substitute, started the chase in third place, but outpaced the two York players ahead of her, to gather the ball close to the line and reach over for the score. 31v5, with the Tamar Benson conversion.

The next try followed more good build up work by the pack and whilst they could not get over, when the ball was moved from left to right Hayley Hodgson passed to Lauren Harkness and whilst she may have been able to score herself, instead she found Allysia May who went over for the try. Tamar Benson converted from a wide angle, with the most difficult of her successful kicks. 38v5

Just after the half hour York got a second try from short range, 31v10.

Hayley Hodgson ended the scoring with her fourth try, but whilst the first two had been from long range, this time she appeared at the end of the backline to go over on the left touchline.

Summer training has clearly gone well as with a similar line-up to last season, and without their talisman No.8 Amy Orrow, who has joined Darlington Mowden Park (but was on the touchline giving plenty of advice), this looked a far better team, with so many players looking confident with the ball in hand. The defence was as solid as ever, against a powerful York back division and there were a number of crunching tackles, especially from Tamar Benson and Hayley Hodgson. Whilst the pack were under pressure at scrums, in the loose they were worked well together. Rowan Boardley at fullback gathered a number of York kicks out of defence and ran them back, to make this a dangerous escape option for the opposition.

The Wasps are next at Mint Bridge against Carlisle Cougars (currently 3rd to the Wasps 2nd in the league) on Sunday 3 November – put the date in your diary, and get down, you should be both impressed and entertained and it's FREE ENTRY!