York Knights hammer Keighley Cougars to complete Challenge Cup third-round line-up

KEIGHLEY COUGARS 12 YORK KNIGHTS 72
SIMON JONES, Cougar Park, Sunday

CLINICAL York cruised into the third round, clinching a plum home tie against Hull KR this Friday.

Mark Applegarth’s Championship side recently beat Rovers 26-12 in the pre-season Amsterdam Challenge, which led to the 20th second-round tie taking place the weekend after the others.

And while the Super League club will surely field a stronger line-up, with the professionalism of this performance, the Knights suggested they could provide them with a tough test under the LNER Stadium floodlights.

League One Keighley fielded high-profile new signing Jarrad Sammut, the former NRL and Super League player, who ended last season at Bradford, but he produced a below-par display with errors which contributed to York’s dominance of most of the contest.

Brad Holroyd, the ex-Rochdale, Workington and Widnes winger, started on the left wing for the Cougars and produced some bright moments.

And young Warrington props Joe Bajer and Charlie McKler, in on dual-registration, also featured in the 17, which became 18 late on when Bobby Hartley was utilised as the extra man after Billy Walkley was forced off due to head concerns for the second time.

York had Kieran Buchanan, signed from Batley, and Joe Law, from Wakefield, on their right edge with former Castleford ace and Super League Man of Steel Paul McShane at hooker.

McShane was soon organising well, but it was star Tongan stand-off Ata Hingano who really pulled the strings in the early stages as the visitors set out their stall with two tries inside eleven minutes.

Hingano strolled in after Levi Edwards was thwarted by Walkley’s tackle, then set Edwards off on a mazy run which brought the scrum from which the centre went in.

Myles Harrison converted both on his way to an overall tally of ten goals from 13 attempts.

Keighley were game, but struggling to make any meaningful impact, and Harrison was held up over the line before Jesse Dee ran onto another neat Hingano pass for his side’s third try after 21 minutes.

After Sammut failed to find touch with a penalty, York continued to turn the screw.

Sam Cook was held up before teeing up Liam Harris for the first of two scores in five minutes, his second coming after an incisive link up with Hingano.

Australian second rower Dee snared his second try a minute before the break, with Harrison’s fifth conversion making it 34-0.

There was no let-up in the second half, and Conor Fitzsimmons and ex-Keighley man Brenden Santi counted before his former team finally got off the mark on 52 minutes, when Jack Miller pounced after Harry Bowes was thwarted, then goaled his own effort.

However Bowes’ 56th-minute sinbinning made Keighley’s task even tougher, and while he was off the field, Jack Teanby, from short range, and Harrison, down the left, both struck.

A neat pass by the excellent Joe Brown put in Oli Field, then Teanby again showed his strength from close in for try number twelve for his team.

Oliver Whitford intercepted to claim a Keighley consolation, converted by Miller, but York had the last word through Field.

GAMESTAR: Ata Hingano was at the heart of York’s impressive performance.

GAMEBREAKER: After Jarrod Sammut failed to find touch with a penalty a quarter of the way in, the Knights, who were already 16-0 up, further tightened their grip.

MATCHFACTS
COUGARS
34 Jarrod Sammut
5 Billy Walkley
20 Oliver Whitford
4 Junior Sa’u
2 Brad Holroyd
6 Izaac Farrell
7 Jack Miller
35 Joe Bajer
14 Harry Bowes
16 Jordan Schofield
3 Adam Ryder
12 Lachlan Lanskey
15 Dan Parker
Subs (all used)
9 George Flanagan
23 Leo Aliyu
24 Elliott Cousins
31 Charlie McKler
18th man (used)
28 Bobby Hartley

Tries: Miller (52), Whitford (75)
Goals: Miller 2/2
Sin bin: Bowes (56) – high tackle

KINGHTS
2 Joe Brown
4 Joe Law
3 Kieran Buchanan
23 Levi Edwards
26 Myles Harrison
6 Ata Hingano
7 Liam Harris
8 Jack Martin
9 Paul McShane
13 Jordan Thompson
11 Jesse Dee
20 Oli Field
16 Jacob Gannon
Subs (all used)
19 Sam Cook
15 Jack Teanby
21 Conor Fitzsimmons
10 Brenden Santi

Tries: Hingano (3), Edwards (11), Dee (21, 39), Harris (26, 33), Fitzsimmons (42), Santi (46), Teanby (60, 72), Harrison (62), Field (67, 79)
Goals: Harrison 10/13

SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 0-12, 0-16, 0-22, 0-28, 0-34; 0-40, 0-46, 6-46, 6-52, 6-58, 6-62, 6-68, 12-68, 12-72

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Cougars: Leo Aliyu; Knights: Ata Hingano

Penalty count: 4-8
Half-time: 0-34
Referee: Matty Lynn