Oh, how sweet is the taste of victory.

It's a taste the Wasps had just about forgotten before yesterday's trip to Mount Pleasant.

But it's one they are now relishing after blowing Batley off the park with a devastating second half show.

Four tries in the last 20 minutes ripped apart the Bulldog spirit and warmed the hearts of the healthy contingent of travelling fans who have been starved of success for so long.

The way the Wasps methodically broke down the Bulldogs was a joy to behold. First they matched them in the forwards going up the slope, then they piled on the pressure to force mistakes and finally they cut loose with some dynamic attacking play.

It was a performance built on a rock solid defensive effort, with just 10 tackles missed.

The desperate Bulldogs could find no answers and gradually their strength and spirit were sapped. By the end, they were a sad sight as York cruised past 30 points for the first time this season.

Garry Atkins tactical switches paid off handsomely, the most effective being the re-introduction of Michael Smith 15 minutes into the second half.

At that point they were locked at 10-10 but with his first touch of the ball he almost put the Wasps ahead. After bursting through the defence on the halfway line, he was one on one with the full-back but couldn't quite time the pass correctly which would have sent Mark Cain away to the line.

Batley struggled to stop the rampaging runs of the Kiwi as he continued to make inroads. But it took an individual piece of brilliance by scrum-half Darren Callaghan 20 minutes from time to break the deadlock in a game which looked destined for a draw.

Revelling being back in the pivotal role, Callaghan chipped the full-back, regathered and spun out of a tackle to score under the posts for Simon Irving to convert.

That broke the Batley resolve and from that point it was one way traffic. Mark Cain's field goal put York seven points ahead and, with the Wasps sensing their dismal run was finally coming to an end, they made absolutely certain in a dazzling last 12 minutes.

Substitute Paul Darley charged down a kick with his foot and won the race to touch down. Then came the try of the match from Andy Lambert. Makeshift full-back Matt Woodcock collected a kick on his own 30 metre line, ran across field before picking out Lambert tearing down the left and the Aussie handed off two tackles on a 50 metre run to the line.

In the final minute, Chris Judge juggled with Cain's reverse pass before finally catching it at the third attempt and outpacing the cover to squeeze in at the corner.

Towering touchline conversions by Irving for the last two tries took the Wasps past the magical 30 point mark.

A very different outcome had looked to be on the cards when Batley scored in the first minute.

The Wasps made a mess of Batley's kick-off and from the drop out scrum-half Gary Barnett spotted a gap and beat Callaghan to score.

Hear we go again, thought the Wasps' followers. But that wasn't to be the case as York refused to capitulate and took the lead after 15 minutes.

Andy Hill volleyed Callaghan's poor pass into the end zone and won the race to get a hand to it, despite having his shirt pulled.

Irving's conversion followed by a 24th minute penalty - the first one awarded in the game - put York 8-4 ahead but Batley edged in front before half-time with a penalty and a try by Paul Gleadhill who just got the ball down before crashing into the corner flag.

But immediately after the re-start there was a hint that the tide of good fortune was turning. Batley knocked on York's kick-off behind their own line then hoofed the drop out straight into touch, giving Irving an easy penalty in front of the posts.

Then the Bulldogs blew a golden opportunity. Woodcock dropped a high kick, the ball was hacked on by Batley and, with no York players in sight, full-back Simon Jackson knocked on as he tried to pick it up 20 metres from the Wasps line.

Woodcock made amends a couple of minutes later when he just managed to kick the ball dead as Gleadhill followed up his own kick.

For once, luck was definitely on the Wasps' side. Hopefully, it won't desert them again when they need it most over the coming days.

Northern Ford Premiership

Batley Bulldogs 10, York Wasps 33

Monday, May 29 at Mount Pleasant

YORK WASPS: Mark Cain 7, Max Ryce 7, Simon Irving 8, Andy Lambert 8, Gareth Lloyd 6, Garry Atkins 7, Darren Callaghan 7, Rich Hayes 8, Alan Pallister 7, Michael Smith 7, Craig Forsyth 7, Steve Hill 7, Andy Hill 8.

Subs: Matt Woodcock (for Atkins 49) 6, Paul Darley (A Hill 60) 6, Chris Judge (Forsyth 31) 7, Spencer Hargrave (Smith 19) 7.

Re-subs: Smith for S Hill 56, Forsyth for Hargrave 69.

Tries: A Hill (15mins), Callaghan (60), Darley (68), Lambert (72), Judge (79)

Conversions: Irving 4. Penalties: Irving 2

Field goal: Cain (65mins)

Guildford Construction/Evening Press Man of the Match

Rich Hayes: Incredible effort from the prop who again topped the tackle count with a whopping 45 and drove the ball up tirelessly

BATLEY: Simon Jackson, Lee Bargate, Nick Simpson, Roger Simpson, Paul Gleadhill, Richard Price, Gary Barnett, Andy Wray, Mark Cass, Jon Clarke, Paul Hicks, Rob Padgett, Wayne Flynn.

Subs: Steve Barnett (for Flynn 17), Tony Walton (Wray 29), Ian Popplewell (Jackson 56), Will Cartledge (Clarke 60)

Tries: G Barnett (1min), Gleadhill (39).

Penalties: Price 1

Penalties: Batley 5, York 4

Scrums won: Batley 8, York 8

40/20 kicks: Batley 0, York 0

Half-time: Batley 10, York 8

Referee: Paul Lee (Leigh)

Attendance: 451

Match rating: 7/10

York's next match: versus Hull Kingston Rovers on Sunday, June 4, at Huntington Stadium, kick-off 3pm

Match statistics