Hemel 20 Keighley 54: Barnes celebrates Cougars’ debut with a double

Danny Jones became only the fifth Keighley player to reach 1,000 points for the club but he was eclipsed by two-try debutant Hamish Barnes.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Apr 2015, 06:15 BST

The visitors led early on through Josh Lynam and, despite a swift reply from Eddie M’Baraga, Jones’s clever kick led to him touching down to reach his milestone.

Alex Anthony’s long-range effort brought Hemel within two points of the visitors before Keighley ran in 26 unanswered points.

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Handforth scored two tries in three minutes before the interval, first weaving his way through a number of Hemel defenders before touching down his own kick.

The second half started in similar fashion to the first as Cougars dominated with Barnes grabbing the first of his brace.

Lynam then produced a grubber kick to send Gavin Duffy over in the corner.

The points blitz ended for Keighley when Jones’s lovely pass sent Paul White in the corner but, despite two quick tries through Liam O’Callaghan and Nathan Darby, any chance of a Hemel comeback was quickly ended.

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Duffy got his second to complete his brace and Lynam then did likewise before Barnes reclaimed centre stage when he scored from another Jones pass.

Jamaican international Barnes said: “Debuts don’t get much better than that. I’ve been putting myself through some intense training to earn the spot in the team.”

Hemel Stags: Anthony, McNamara, J O’Callaghan, McLeod, Brown, Lawrence, L O’Callaghan, Helliwell, Darby, M’Baraga, Swindells, Coleman. Substitutes: Chester, Lloyd-Jones, Coker, Sadler.

Keighley Cougars: Jesse Sheriffe, Duffy, Lawton, Barnes, White, Jones, Handforth, Law, Feathe, Rawlins, Lynam, Pursglove, Bailey. Substitutes: Peltier, Cherryholme, Jode Sheriffe, March.

Referee: A Gill (RFL).