SOMETIMES a final scoreline can sum up a match. At Huntington Stadium yesterday, it didn't come close.

Villeneuve Leopards won this Challenge Cup tie 17-8, but to say it was harsh on York would be an understatement.

In a fun-packed encounter, the Wasps were more than a match for their star-studded guests from over the Channel, but they just couldn't score.

Villeneuve, 22-8 victors when the teams met at the same stage last year, were without the man who ran that show, Freddie Banquet, following his switch to union, while top-rated hooker Vincent Wulf was injured.

But they still boasted nine French internationals, a Moroccan international (Morocco featured in the Emerging Nations' World Cup) and five Australians.

However, but for Lady Luck, it might have been York, not the Leopards, who were eagerly awaiting tonight's fifth round draw.

Granted, Villeneuve played with only 12 men for more than 50 minutes after Laurent Carrasco was sent off for using the elbow when tackling Carl Barrow. And to say York should have taken more advantage is perhaps a fair point.

But, as coach Leo Epifania argued afterwards, what more could they have done other than actually score?

At times this season York have defended well but attacked poorly and lost, and at other times it's been vice versa and they'd lost. Yesterday, they defended and attacked well enough to win, but were let down by their finishing - or, to be more exact, their touching down.

Indeed, the Wasps failed to register more than one try despite crossing the line five times. However, it seemed only a mixture of bad luck and superb last-ditch defence served to deny them.

Perhaps questionable refereeing played a part too. Of course, the decisions by Nick Oddy to twice rule out a try - when both times it seemed to everyone in the stands that York had scored - should not be queried as he is closer to the action.

But, judging by some of his other decisions - debatable penalties against York preceded all but one of Villeneuve's points - it would be hard for home fans not to assume he might just have got it wrong.

York had gone ahead in the third minute of an incident-packed first half through a Jamie Benn penalty. But 13 minutes later, a penalty for laying on gave Villeneuve the field position and Daniel Vergniol got through down the left.

The superb Laurent Frayssinous converted from the touchline despite the swirling wind.

Villeneuve did show a lot of class and they deserve credit for their victory. But they also had a penchant for niggling and appeared very adept at winning penalties for laying on by effectively holding the tackler on top.

And on 22 minutes, Mr Oddy decided he'd seen enough of these supposed penalties and gave the unfortunate Shaun Austerfield the first sin-binning of his career. Frayssinous kicked the goal from 15 yards to make it 8-2.

Three more cards soon followed. Firstly, Carrasco saw red after the touch judge and most of the crowd alerted Mr Oddy to his elbow, and then Carl Hall and Romain Gagliazzo saw yellow after a set-to.

It was about time Gagliazzo was carded, as he'd been at it all game, while Hall had to go for landing a few retributions, and for a short while it was 11 versus 11.

York should have been back in it soon after when Michael Docherty crashed through but was deemed to have knocked on as he touched down, then Scott Yeaman let the ball slip with the line at his mercy.

Then, after another of those laying-on penalties had seen Frayssi- nous make it 10-2, Yeaman was denied one of the best tries seen at Huntington Stadium for quite a while.

The ball went through several hands, superb passes out of the tackle being met by fine support play, before Yeaman latched on to it and darted over amid desperate defenders. The crowd rose but the try was ruled out.

York went close immediately after half-time as Mark Cain's grubber evaded Benn, while a forward off-load ruled out Andy Hutchinson's good pick-up and touch down.

Then a curious penalty, presumably for interfering at a play the ball, led to Brock Mueller digging his way for a converted try and a 16-2 scoreline.

A couple of dropped passes at crucial times prevented York from cutting the deficit before they did finally score with ten minutes left, after Benn had made a great break down the left.

Villeneuve should have been penalised for slowing play down but it didn't matter as the ball was switched to the right where Rob Lee made superb yards and, despite taking a hefty knock, fed Yeaman, who touched down. This time, it stood.

Benn converted superbly but no more tries followed and Frayssinous had the last word with a drop goal.

It was a defeat for York, but it was a defeat full of passion, skill and incident. Only 442 people were there to see it, but any more of this, and Wasps will be in danger of bringing the crowds back to Huntington Stadium.

Fact file:

York Wasps

Scorers: T: Yeaman (70).

C: Benn. P: Benn (3).

York Wasps: Benn 7, Molloy 7, Austerfield 7, Hall 8, Sorbello 7, Liddell 7, Yeaman 7, Docherty 7, Edwards 8, Hill 7, Barrow 7, Ramsden 7, Cain 7.

Subs: Kirke 6, Hutchinson 7, R Lee 7. Not used: A Lee.

Sin-binned: Austerfield (22, laying on), Hall (27, fighting). Sent off: None.

Villeneuve

Scorers: T: Vergniol (16), Mueller (55). C: Frayssinous 2.

P: Frayssinous (22, 35). DG: Frayssinous (76).

Villeneuve: Despin, Van Snick, Webber, Vergniol, Hermet, Frayssinous, Rinaldi, Doorey, Mueller, Gagliazzo, Shead, Sort, Carrasco.

Subs (all used): Durdovic, Sabatie, Fakir, Perolari.

Sin-binned: Gagliazzo (29, fighting). Sent off: Carrasco (27, using elbow).

Attendance: 442.

Referee: N Oddy (Halifax)

Updated: 13:59 Monday, February 11, 2002