York Knights claim another win over Widnes Vikings

YORK KNIGHTS 26 WIDNES VIKINGS 12
GAVIN WILSON, LNER Community Stadium, Sunday

YORK claimed a second home win over Widnes this month, leapfrogging the Vikings and moving into the play-off places after an entertaining clash in hot and sunny conditions.

The Knights had defeated Allan Coleman’s side 39-6 in the quarter-finals of the 1895 Cup.

York coach Mark Applegarth made just one change from the team who had lost at Featherstone, as ex-Castleford hooker Jacques O’Neill made his long-awaited debut in place of Harvey Reynolds. Centre Kieran Buchanan made his 150th career appearance.

Coleman brought in outside back Josh Hodson on loan from Castleford after drawing with Oldham in the previous game.

York got off to a strong start, opening up a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.

Liam Harris crossed first, claiming a dropped high kick and beating the Widnes defence with some silky footwork, before converting in front of the posts.

Connor Bailey, who impressed throughout, was then at full stretch down the right flank to reach out and score.

Widnes hit back on the half-hour mark when Mike Butt finished a nice move out to the right wing, with Tom Gilmore goaling from the touchline.

But York restored their ten-point lead five minutes before the break when Joe Brown scored off the back of some neat second-phase play from Ata Hingano and Jesse Dee, with Harris converting.

Widnes started the second half strongly but York repelled a number of repeat sets, and some strong direct running from prop Kieran Hudson laid the platform for Hingano to crash over in the 42nd minute. Harris converted as a three-score lead was created.

Dee was sinbinned for a spear tackle with eleven minutes remaining, and Widnes took full advantage of the extra man in the next set, quickly moving the ball out to Ryan Ince to score by the left flag, with Gilmore again adding the two from the touchline.

York kept their composure to see out the remainder of the game, and a floated offload from Hingano allowed Ben Jones-Bishop to round off the try scoring with 20 seconds left.

GAMESTAR: Strong-running York backrow Connor Bailey put in a huge shift in hot conditions and claimed a well-deserved try.

GAMEBREAKER: Ata Hingano’s second-half try created an unassailable 16-point lead.

MATCHFACTS
KNIGHTS
2 Joe Brown
34 Ben Jones-Bishop
3 Kieran Buchanan
20 Oli Field
35 Scott Galeano
6 Ata Hingano
7 Liam Harris
8 Jack Martin
9 Paul McShane
17 Ukuma Ta’ai
11 Jesse Dee
12 Connor Bailey
13 Jordan Thompson
Subs (all used)
10 Brenden Santi
19 Sam Cook
22 Jacques O’Neill
31 Kieran Hudson

Tries: Harris (15), Bailey (25), Brown (35), Hingano (52), Jones-Bishop (79)
Goals: Harris 3/5
Sin bin: Dee (68) – dangerous tackle

VIKINGS
4 Joe Edge
5 Mike Butt
1 Jack Owens
30 Josh Hodson
2 Ryan Ince
6 Joe Lyons
7 Tom Gilmore
8 Dan Murray
14 Matty Fozard
10 Martyn Reilly
11 Rhodri Lloyd
12 Danny Langtree
18 Nick Gregson
Subs (all used)
15 Liam Bent
16 Liam Kirk
29 Rhys Williams
21 Gavin Bennion