Pontefract 44 V Keighley 30 Report by Dave Brady, Photos by Graham Sutton

Despite there being no 1st team fixtures this week, Keighley were unable to travel with a front row, resulting in the game being played with uncontested scrums. Although this potentially could have put the Pontefract side off its stride, the home side responded instead with another composed display, resulting in a fine win.

Conditions at Moor lane were nigh on perfect for an open game of rugby, and both sides looked to move the ball at every occasion. Keighley having the better of the opening exchanges pinned the home side back in their twenty two, Pontefract’s defence held firm and when it was their turn with the ball their first attack of the game resulted in 3 points from the boot of Tristan Hibbert. That was the first of two conversions in the first half from the full back. But it was Dave Crow who caught the eye with pace that the Keighley side just could not contend with. The first of the centres hat trick of tries, came after a straightforward backs move on the left of the pitch, it looked like there was not much on for the home side but when Crow received the ball on the 10 metre line he ghosted through the flat footed Keighley side and touched down just left of the posts. Two further tries after the interval were all taken with equal aplomb.

As usual it was the forwards who laid the platform for the win and although unable to compete at scrum time the line outs were working well with Andy Fenton leaping clear several times to set the platform for further attacks. Two further first have tries, a trade mark show and go from the veteran fly half Archer, and a neat corner flag touch down from Shane Simpson, completed the scoring before the interval.

The teams turned round with the score 25 to 9 to Pontefract, three penalty goals being all that the visitors had to show for their endeavours. The home side did have to contend with being a man down for 5 minutes either side of the half as Greg Banfield spent 10 minutes in the bin for persistent infringements at the breakdown.

Two further tries from Crow early in the second half, one converted by Hibbert stretched the lead to 37, to 9. Then the home side seemed to lose interest for a while and despite Steve Newel marshalling the forwards as he had all game, and Steamer driving hard with ball in hand, Keighley to their credit rallied strongly. Scoring three tries without answer, brought the visitors to within seven points. But the game never looked in doubt as captain Archer uncharacteristically involved in a ruck, dabbed the ball down to give the final score line a look more in keeping with Pontefract’s overall dominance.

The home side used all twenty players with Billy Coleman and Mick Wassell showing particularly well coming off the bench. A real team performance again from this young side, it’s clear they are going to get better and better as the season progresses.