KEIGHLEY COUGARS 6 NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 30
SIMON JONES, Cougar Park, Sunday
NORTH WALES crossed four times in the last quarter to thwart Keighley’s bid for a first league win of the year – so staying top of the table.
Alan Kilshaw’s Cougars had a real dig, but Crusaders’ resilience, nous and power eventually swung it their way.
This was a much-changed Keighley side from that beaten 46-6 at home by Workington two weeks earlier, with fullback Brandon Pickersgill and scrum-half Jack Miller back in.
Andy Gabriel, the experienced winger who has returned to the club after last featuring for them early in 2018, was included, as was on-loan York prop Jack Teanby.
However, hooker Harry Bowes missed out due to an ankle niggle, so Aaron Brown switched from loose-forward, where dual-registration Warrington youngster Lucas Green fitted in.
North Wales, having romped to a 74-0 home win over Newcastle seven days previously, had seasoned operators Patrick Ah Van and Jamie Dallimore back in the backs and Liam Cooper and Olly Davies in the forwards.
North Wales had to work hard to set the platform for an opening try nine minutes in, when second rower Sam Wilde stretched to plant the ball down and Dallimore converted.
On the rare occasions the home side did make progress early on, they were undone by either errors (including Junior Nuu knocking on) or resolute defence, while at the opposite end, Miller made a solid tackle to thwart the cross-border raiders.
Chris Barratt was held up over the line after 20 minutes as Keighley survived another scare, then the Yorkshire side looked to have found a response, only for a no-grounding ruling.
North Wales put themselves in a promising position when Dallimore found touch with a penalty, but Ah Van coughed the ball up on the first tackle.
Aided by back-to-back penalties, Keighley pressed forward towards the end of the first half, forcing a drop-out before finding a way back into the contest.
Second rower Valu Tane Bentley, having come off the bench, secured the try by crashing onto a neat last-tackle kick by the busy Miller, who added the goal to level at 6-6.
It was the former Wigan Academy and Leigh Reserves player’s first Keighley score, and gave his side a big lift going into the break.
The hosts took up where they had left off and tested North Wales at the start of the second half. However, the visitors stood firm – then regained the lead through Dallimore’s 50th-minute penalty-goal.
The decision to go for the two points reflected the tight nature of the game, and while North Wales worked to extend their advantage, Ah Van’s knock-on meant a promising move broke down.
A four-pointer did arrive just past the hour though, with the ball worked wide and winger Ollie Brookes forcing his way over, although Dallimore was unable to make it an eight-point cushion as he was off target from the tee.
However, the former Barrow halfback claimed the key try with eight minutes to go – and this time slotted the two, just as he did when substitute hooker Joe Baldwin and Wilde, for his second, went over to ice the cake.
GAMESTAR: Stand-off Jamie Dallimore proved a calm head as well as a driving force for North Wales.
GAMEBREAKER: Dallimore’s 72nd-minute try and conversion put the game beyond Keighley.
MATCHFACTS
COUGARS
1 Brandon Pickersgill
42 Andy Gabriel
19 Junior Nuu
4 Junior Sa’u
5 Billy Walkley
6 Izaac Farrell
7 Jack Miller
16 Jordan Schofield
13 Aaron Brown
33 Jack Teanby
15 Dan Parker
12 Lachlan Lanskey
29 Lucas Green
Subs (all used)
20 Oliver Whitford
23 Leo Aliyu
10 Mark Ioane
22 Valu Tane Bentley
Tries: Bentley (38)
Goals: Miller 1/1
CRUSADERS
1 Lloyd Roby
2 Jack Holmes
3 Kieran Taylor
5 Patrick Ah Van
21 Ollie Brookes
22 Jamie Dallimore
7 Jordy Gibson
8 Jack Houghton
19 Josh Eaves
10 Chris Barratt
18 Liam Cooper
11 Sam Wilde
13 Olly Davies
Subs (all used)
14 Joe Baldwin
28 Jordan Case
32 Anthony Walker
23 Paddy Jones
Tries: Wilde (9, 78), Brookes (61), Dallimore (72), Baldwin (74)
Goals: Dallimore 5/6
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6; 6-8, 6-12, 6-18, 6-24, 6-30
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Cougars: Jack Miller; Crusaders: Jamie Dallimore
Penalty count: 7-7
Half-time: 6-6
Referee: Denton Arnold
