Pocklington14 Keighley 10

The loss of their inspirational captain Leigh Sudden to a shoulder injury did not help their cause. Pocklington took advantage of the situation and were direct in their approach, putting the Keighley defence under a great deal of pressure, as a result they gained two penalties converted by winger Nick Bennett.

Keighley unable to gain any quality possession, were forced to live off slow ball which nullified the effectiveness of their excellent back division. Their defence however was rock solid and was able to keep out a number of promising attacks. Eventually a Pocklington attack through the forwards down the left hand side of the field forced enough space for winger Billy Hardy to cross in the corner.

In the second half Keighley played with greater spirit but once again found it difficult to gain consistant possession through an inefficient line out, and general sloppiness in the contact area. Pocklington with their set piece play working well camped in Keighley territory for extended periods but only gained a further penalty from Bennett.

Keighley countered with a difficult penalty from Ben Blackwell. With time running out Keighley managed to break out of defence, quick ball to their backs allowed centre Harry Titley to draw a number of defenders before passing to supporting winger Adam Horsfall, drawing the last man he gave an inch perfect pass to outside half Alex Brown who raced sixty metres to score in the corner. Ben Blackwell added the conversion.

Keighley tried desperately to snatch victory in the remaining minutes but Pocklington managed to soak up the pressure and came through as deserved winners.

This Saturday a home game against Malton and Norton.