Lawton fires Cougars to win over Dewsbury

DEWSBURY’s hopes of a play-off place were well and truly ended as Keighley secured a convincing win in an error-strewn encounter at Cougar Park.

It was sixth versus seventh on the Co-operative Championship ladder and Jason Demetriou’s men laid a marker down to the teams above them that they will be a threat in the play-offs this year, as they showed some dogged defence and attacking enterprise when the game opened up.

But the Rams did break the deadlock against the run of play when James Craven burst through Craig Moss’s tackle to race in under the sticks.

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Cougars got back into it when Moss crossed and then took the lead when both Brendan Rawlins and Richie Barnett crashed over to make it 14-6 going into the sheds.

Things then only got worse for Dewsbury when Danny Lawton went over for his first try just five minutes into the second half, and the next Keighley score was daylight robbery, as Jason Demetriou stole the ball from Jamaine Akaidere’s grasp for the cheekiest of touchdowns.

Cougars were still wary of a comeback though, and Lawton booted over a penalty to mean that the Rams needed four scores.

Realistically that was never going to happen, and Lawton once again went over for a try to put the visitors well and truly out of the game and the bonus point picture, with Keighley securing their play-off berth going into their crunch game with Leigh on Thursday.

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Keighley: Moss, Barnett, Haythornthwaite, Lawton, Tadulala, Jones, Obst, Shickell, Feather, Sheriffe, Reed, Pursglove, Demetriou. Substitutes: Wray, Coleman, Korkidas, Rawlins.

Dewsbury: Craven, Akaidere, Esders, Faal, Buchanan, Walker, Spaven, Jones, Hood, Crossley, Spicer, Barker, Josh Tonks. Substitutes: Flanagan, Nicholson, Singleton, Smith.

Referee: J Leahy (RFL).