Keighley Cougars reserves 22 Featherstone Rovers reserves 42

COUGARS reserves got their league campaign underway with a home defeat, despite getting off to the better start when Christopher Cullimore dived in next to the posts from the play-the-ball after five minutes.

However, Rovers had the better of the next ten minutes, with Liam Blockley grabbing his first of the evening despite a suspicion of a forward pass in the build-up.

Will Milner then showed great skill and timing to put Louis Brown in for his first and, from the restart, the visitors took advantage of poor Keighley discipline with Blockley getting over for his second.

Lindsey’s side got back within four points of Featherstone when Liam Darville’s grubber fell nicely for Josh Casey to touch down.

However, Rovers re-established their ten-point lead moments before half-time when, from Curtis MacDonald’s break, Danny Sowerby crossed underneath the posts.

Fev were finding plenty of success down the Cougars left edge and this showed in the opening ten minutes of the second half. After Brown got in for his second, the ball was worked out wide to Adam Swift, who dived over in the corner.

Swift’s try sparked Cougars to life and they threatened a comeback with two tries in three minutes that briefly had Fev on the ropes.

Sonny Esslemont marked his return from illness, which had put him out of the first team’s cup victory over Coventry, by powering over from two metres, and a bounce from a kick caught the Featherstone full back cold, with Darville taking full advantage.

However, two breakaway tries in the final ten minutes saw Rovers make the trip back across West Yorkshire with the two points safely in the bag.

Hooker Sam Day was the first, breaking from the play-the-ball to race round to score beneath the uprights, with Blockley completing his hat-trick when he broke down the left wing to get over.