Widness Vikings 76 York City Knights 12: Knights suffer party hangover as Widnes celebrate RFL’s decision

With over 4,000 spectators in the ground following the announcement that the Vikings will be in Super League in 2012, it was always going to be a tough ask for Dave Woods’s men.

But to be fair they never completely gave up the ghost and in second row John Davies had at least one player whose efforts were worthy of note.

It took 14 minutes for the Vikings to open their account when Paddy Flynn bravely squeezed in at the corner.

That seemed to open the floodgates and Widnes made it 10-0 when Chaz I’Anson’s kick paved the way for winger Dean Gaskell to put centre partner Stephen Tyrer over.

An almost identical Tyrer score pushed the home side further ahead before Vikings full-back Danny Craven danced through to make it 22-0.

Credit to the Knights for showing enough spirit to pull a six-pointer back when substitute Matt Barron ghosted in after a Davies break had set up the position. However, that good work was undone when, just before half-time, a spilled ball 20 metres from the York line allowed Tyrer to stroll over for his third try of the game which left the Knights in a 28-6 sized hole at half-time.

When McGrath Leuluai added a further score for Widnes and Knights’ prop Andy Benson went to the sin bin for a late hit in the build up on 45 minutes, York fans could be certain this wasn’t going to be their day.

The Vikings added further scores through Richard Varkulis and Chris Lunt and a brace apiece for Anthony Thackeray and Steve Pickersgill.

Simon Finnigan also crossed for a six-pointer and Tyrer finished with 36 points with 12 goals to add to his first-half hat-trick.

In the meantime, Davies registered the try his efforts deserved for the Knights.

Widnes: Craven; Flynn, Ropati, Tyrer, Gaskell; Gerrard, I’Anson; Kavanagh, Coyle, Pickersgill, Allen, Leuluai, Finnigan. Substitutes: Varkulis, Thackeray, Lunt, Sculthorpe.

York City Knights: Thompson; Waterman, Straugher, Garside, Bush; Thorman, Presley; Massey, Barlow, Benson, Davies, Lewis, Clarke. Substitutes: Barron, Stearman, Brining, Freer.

Referee: C Halloran (RFL).

Keighley Cougars 40 Oldham Roughyeds 14

Jason Demetriou’s return inspired Keighley Cougars to a huge 40-14 win over fellow promotion hopefuls Oldham.

The former Wakefield Trinity star shook off the calf injury that kept him out of the defeat at Whitehaven to provide a guiding hand at stand-off.

Keighley never looked back after establishing an 18-0 first-half lead and ran in seven tries to climb into second in Championship One.

But Demetriou was quick to deflect the attention from his own performance, singling out half-back partner Luke Helliwell for praise.

“We were a lot better than at Whitehaven,” said the Cougars player-coach.

“We came up with the right attitude and I think it helped that I was able to play today.

“Luke played really well and when I’m there, it frees him up to express himself a little bit more.

“At the end of the day, he’s only young and he’s got a lot of rugby still ahead of him, so he’s learning all the time.”

Helliwell stood out as both creator and destroyer, acting as Keighley’s playmaker-in-chief while also scoring two tries himself.

The former Bradford academy player’s double and a try for James Haythornthwaite, all converted by Danny Lawton, ensured that Cougars led at the break.

Oldham hit back three minutes after the restart through Ben Heaton but Richard Jones and James Feather scored within two minutes of each other, Lawton converting both.

Shaun Robinson grabbed another for the visitors but Lawton scored and converted himself before Olly Pursglove touched down.

Lucas Onyango mustered a late consolation try for the visitors.

Keighley: Haythornthwaite, Duffy, Sagar, Lawton, Hutchinson, Demetriou, Heliwell, Shickell, Feather, Rawlins, Cartledge, Pursglove, Baines. Substitutes: Wray, Law, Benjafield, Jones.

Oldham: Heaton, Onyango, Brocklehurst, Bradbury, Robinson, Whitmore, Diveny, Boults, M. Roden, Clarke, Isherwood, Wood, Noone. Substitutes: Ellison, Bentley, Clough, Gilchrist.

Referee: D Merrick (RFL)

Doncaster 8 Rochdale Hornets 24

DONCASTER crashed to their first defeat of the season in disappointing style as they were well beaten by a more lively Rochdale Hornets outfit.

The Dons had several key players missing through injury and suspension and never came close to reproducing the best of their early season form.

They gave away possession as well as taking too many wrong options and, to add to their misery, they had prop forward Jamie Bovill sent off in the 68th minute for dangerous use of his elbow.

Doncaster snatched the lead against the run of play in the fifth minute when hardworking forward Chris Green capitalised on a fine pass from Scott Spaven.

But they looked second best for most of the half and Rochdale were finally rewarded for their attacking play when Wayne McHugh sent Andy Saywell over in the corner after 21 minutes to level the scores.

McHugh took advantage of slack defensive play when he touched down himself three minutes later and Saywell went in again before the interval to leave Hornets 16-4 in front.

Doncaster found it hard to hit back during a torrential downpour in the second half and Hornets held firm before punishing the home side again with a try from substitute Dan Ekis in the 64th minute.

Bovill was dismissed four minutes later but Doncaster continued to battle and Green was rewarded for persistence when he touched down again in the closing stages after full back Wayne English had fumbled a high kick from Mike Emmett. But it was too little too late for Doncaster as the visitors finished worthy winners with Liam McGovern adding three goals and two drop goals.

Doncaster: Sanderson, Wilson, Leaf, Morrison, Coady, Fawcett, Spaven, Bovill, Ely, Scott, Spurr, Green, Steen. Substitutes: Emmett, Carbutt, Sampson, Lawton.

Rochdale Hornets: English, Bloomfield, McHugh, Strong, Saywell, McGovern, Roper, Newton, Crook, Cookson, Samuel, Donoghue, Ashall. Substitutes: Clough, Ekkis, Hobson, Keavney.

Referee: C Leatherbarrow (RFL).