Castleford 15 Keighley 14

Keighley started well, some strong runs from the forwards forced Castleford into defensive mode, when Cas did manage to gain good possession they were forced to kick it away to clear their lines, with Keighley’s Lister and Inman more than holding their own in the line out the ball was soon returned with interest, a fine break down the right hand wing by Alex Brown was stopped by a last ditch tackle into touch.

Eventually Brown turned the pressure into points with an easy penalty, ten minutes later he added to his tally with a well struck dropped goal. With Keighley forwards gaining good possession and dominating territory Castleford were ‘on the rocks’, rushing to defend their line gave Brown another three points for offside.

In the final quarter of the half the Castleford outside half was sin binned for stopping the release of the ball at a ruck. Keighley with a territorial and numerical advantage moved the ball wide at every opportunity. However, two certain tries went begging through lack of composure. In both instances the Castleford line was undefended but ‘careless hands’ kept them in the game. With centres Ferrazzano and Horsfall reverting to the more direct approach and Castleford’s wing forward, ex England ‘A’ player Derek Eves in the bin, it was only a matter of time before the defence cracked, a clever supporting run from Alex Brown and a neat inside pass gave winger Lucus Uren a try in the corner.

In the second half Castleford kicked off, Keighley caught the ball and were immediately penalised for going over the top. Winger Martin Dye landed a long range penalty. There followed what can best be described as a period of disjointed play, every move from both teams appeared to break down and lead to a penalty.

Castleford pressure eventually gained good field position and when Keighley’s Stuart Inman and winger Lucus Uren were forced to spend some time in the bin for ruck offences, Castleford redoubled their efforts and gained three penalties in the Keighley half which Dye converted. With their full complement back on the field a late rally by Keighley gave young winger Sean Kelly a clear run to the corner, only to be cut down by a covering tackle. The last opportunity to finish the game in Keighley’s favour came with two kickable penalties for Alex Brown. Unfortunately for him it was not his day, they both sailed wide. In the final minutes of the game the player’s frustration boiled over into a fracas, resulting in a red card for Keighley centre Ferrazzanno and an easy penalty for Dye, who capped a fine kicking performance with an easy three points.

Once again a disappointing result for Keighley. Castleford took their chances and gained the league points. However, in many respects both teams were disappointed with the rugby on offer. It appears that a revised approach to refereeing the contact area is causing problems for referees and nearly all teams in the Yorkshire One division. This vital area of the rugby union game is too prone to an inconsistent approach, which has led to massive increase in the penalty count and confusion and frustration for players and spectators alike. Let’s hope the situation settles down for the benefit of everybody involved.

This Saturday Keighley welcomes Bridlington to Utley.