HEWORTH 0 KEIGHLEY COUGARS 66
GAVIN WILSON, Elmpark Way, Saturday

KEIGHLEY secured a safe passage through to the Challenge Cup third round with a comfortable win over battling amateurs Heworth.

It was the Villagers first appearance of the year after being handed a bye when round-one opponents RAF had to pull out the competition.

Heworth’s joint head coaches Liam Watling and Dan Briggs were missing experienced players in Adam Dent and Liam Richmond, but they handed a debut to promising youngster George Burton.

Cougars coach Dan Burton named a strong squad, with only three changes from the team that beat Goole in the Championship a week earlier. 

Veteran Brandon Pickersgill returned alongside Ben Dean and Oliver Whitford, while experienced trio George Flanagan, Izaac Farrell and David Foggin-Johnston dropped out.

The Cougars started brightly and were on the board with their first attack after just three minutes as Dylan Proud raced through down the right. Matty Beharrell missed the conversion attempt and he had a mixed afternoon with the boot, converting only seven of Keighley’s thirteen tries.

The Cougars extended their lead with the first of Whitford’s four tries of the afternoon, the young winger taking full advantage of his first-team opportunity by finishing a well-worked move from the base of the scrum. Hooker Oli Burton then scooted over in the 20th minute and former York Knights prop Jack Teanby stormed over from twenty metres out just three minutes later.

Imposing centre Max Clarke was next to cross for the first of a hat-trick, and Burton rounded off the first-half scoring with a carbon copy of his first try.

The game was well refereed and played in great spirit, with just five penalties awarded, all for minor technical infringements.

Heworth started the second half brightly – with forward Joe Deighton particularly impressive – and enjoyed back-to-back sets deep in Cougars territory, but couldn’t find a breakthrough. 

Keighley weathered the pressure and ran the valiant amateurs ragged in the final half-hour with seven tries – five of which came from the lethal left-edge partnership of Clarke and Whitlock, who were really cutting loose in the low winter sun.

Further scores were added through prop Jordan Scofield crashing over, while loose forward Lucas Green rounded off a successful afternoon with a try as the final hooter sounded.  

GAMEBREAKER: The Cougars scored with their first attack through Dylan Proud in the third minute and never looked back.

GAMESTAR: Max Clarke was a class above anyone else on the pitch with three tries and four assists.

MATCHFACTS

HEWORTH
1 Fraser West
2 George Burton
3 Ellis Southerington
4 Harrison Briggs
5 Billy Sturdy
6 Dan Clarke
7 Finlay Tait
8 Tom Clarke
9 Jack Sadler
10 Jonny Payne
11 Leon Watkinson
12 Ben Barnard
13 Joe Deighton
Subs (all used)
14 Freddie Wilson
15 Jack Earl
16 Ben Blackburn
17 Liam Sharples

COUGARS
1 Connor Sayner
2 Brad Holroyd
5 Dylan Proud
4 Max Clarke
18 Oliver Whitford
23 Brandon Pickersgill
7 Matty Beharrell
16 Leo Aliyu
9 Oli Burton
10 Jack Teanby
21 Alfie Dean
12 Lachlan Lanskey
11 Lucas Green
Subs (all used)
13 Aaron Brown
17 Jordan Schofield
26 Nathan Rushworth
24 Ben Dean

Tries: Proud (3), Whitford (14, 51, 58, 76), Burton (20, 35), Teanby (23), Clarke (30, 61, 73), Schofield (64), Green (78)
Goals: Beharrell 7/13

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-8, 0-14, 0-20, 0-24, 0-30; 0-34, 0-38, 0-42, 0-48, 0-54, 0-60, 0-66

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Heworth: Joe Deighton; Cougars: Max Clarke

Penalty count: 2-3
Half-time: 0-30
Referee: Lucas Seal