WIDNES VIKINGS 46 DEWSBURY RAMS 0
JAMES GORDON, DCBL Stadium, Sunday

WIDNES kept an opponent to nil for the second time in three home league games with a goal-shy ten-try win.

Ryan Ince crossed for four, including a milestone 100th of his career, as the Vikings made it seven straight wins in all matches, and a third over Dewsbury in that run.

It took five minutes for Ince to claim the first try, finishing in a tight space in the right corner off a Nathan Connell offload.

The Rams made Widnes work hard in the first half and forced a drop-out at the end of a set started brightly by Craig McShane and finished with Jacob Hookem’s kick which trapped the home side in-goal.

But they couldn’t make the pressure pay and Widnes doubled their lead when a smart long pass by Jack Owens on the last tackle put Ince over for his second.

Jack McShane was held up inches short at the other end as Dewsbury asked questions, but they conceded against the run of play when Joe Edge snared an interception and raced 90 metres.

Dewsbury persevered and Monty Lumb broke through and was halted just short by Kieran Taylor, who then wrapped up Hookem on the last tackle.

Widnes stretched their lead to 18-0 at half-time when Danny Langtree took Matty Fozard’s short ball close to the line and spun to score by the side of the posts, and Edge added the extras (after Owens had missed his three conversion attempts).

Once Widnes broke Dewsbury’s resolve eight minutes into the second half, the points started to flow, even if their wayward goal-kicking (Edge was off target from the tee either side of Tom Gilmore missing two) meant the scoreline didn’t progress as they may have liked.

Tom Delaney dropped Gilmore’s kick on his own line, enabling Taylor to touch down, then Langtree cleverly recovered Bailey O’Connor’s short kick-off before Owens broke through on the left and Mike Butt finished acrobatically in that corner.

On a day when Widnes paid tribute to former coach John Kear with a minute’s applause before kick-off, they made it three tries since Dewsbury last touched the ball when Owens’ short kick bounced up for Edge to stretch and make it 30-0.

They had to wait until the 67th minute for their eighth try, with a short-side play from in their own half led by Owens enabling Max Roberts to break free. Butt then fed Ince to complete his hat-trick.

Ince added a fourth off a scrum play shortly afterwards, with Edge improving for 40-0.

Fozard, who had been a constant thorn in Dewsbury’s side after his introduction on the half-hour mark, then broke away down the left and found Owens on his inside, Edge tagging on the two.

Dewsbury had seen very little attacking action in the second half, but nearly found something late on, Delaney catching O’Connor’s kick-off and then dribbling through, but Lewis Hall was alert to the threat.

GAMESTAR: Dewsbury will be glad to see the back of Widnes winger Ryan Ince for another season.

GAMEBREAKER: Kieran Taylor’s tackles at 12-0 were soon followed by a Danny Langtree try.

MATCHFACTS

VIKINGS
23 Nathan Connell
2 Mike Butt
25 Kieran Taylor
4 Joe Edge
5 Ryan Ince
3 Jack Owens
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
9 Jordan Johnstone
21 Jay Chapelhow
12 Max Roberts
11 Sam Wilde
15 Lewis Hall
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Fozard
16 Danny Langtree
20 Jack Billington
28 Jack Houghton

Tries: Ince (5, 18, 67, 72), Edge (25, 52), Langtree (33), Taylor (48), Butt (50), Owens (75)
Goals: Owens 0/3, Edge 3/5, Gilmore 0/2

RAMS
1 Craig McShane
5 Liam Copland
29 Bailey O’Connor
4 George Senior
2 Tom Delaney
6 Dan Coates
7 Jacob Hookem
8 Luke Nelmes
9 Jack McShane
16 Louis Collinson
15 Jacob Bateman
23 Brad Graham
35 Danny Addy
Subs (all used)
17 Harvey Roberts
20 Valu Tanē Bentley
21 Monty Lumb
28 Jacob Algar

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 12-0, 18-0; 22-0, 26-0, 30-0, 34-0, 40-0, 46-0

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Vikings: Ryan Ince; Rams: Danny Addy

Penalty count: 7-2
Half-time: 18-0
Referee: Matty Lynn