Hunslet Hawks 16, Keighley Cougars 24

CHARLIE Martin and Hamish Barnes both scored twice as the Cougars bounced back from their Challenge Cup exit at York with a League One victory at derby rivals Hunslet.

Paul March, a former player-coach at Hunslet, watched on from the grandstand as Barnes finished off after excellent work from Paul Handforth to open the scoring in the 17th minute.

Fellow centre Barnes then doubled Keighley's advantage by going over inside the left channel to cap a delightful handling sequence to make it 12-0 at half-time.

The pair repeated the trick to complete their respective braces early in the second half – before Hunslet hit back with three tries in quick succession to ensure a tense finale, which saw former Cougars player Jake Normington and Aaron Ollett sinbinned for fighting.

The Cougars led when Handforth hacked the ball forward and intelligently ushered the supporting Barnes under the sticks with a superb pass.

Handforth, Adam Brook and Ritchie Hawkyard then combined inside the left channel to send Martin over, with Brook converting both tries to earn a comfortable 12-0 advantage at the break.

Four minutes after the restart, Handforth's last-tackle bomb was spilled by Hunslet full back Jimmy Watson and Martin scampered clear inside the left channel to score his second try.

Ross Peltier, one of several players on display who had played for both clubs, then embarked on a stunning break from inside his own half.

He had done all the hard work and had Martin outside him in support but the prop's pass was wayward and the opportunity was spurned.

Still, the Cougars soon had their fourth in the 51st minute when Handforth and Oakes combined superbly to send Barnes galloping clear for his second.

Hunslet refused to throw in the towel and Thomas' superb long pass picked put centre Ayden Faal and he went over in the 58th minute.

That try breathed new life into Hunslet and prop Matt Carbutt barrelled over the line from close range, before hooker Jack Lee went over from acting half with nine minutes remaining.

Simon Brown converted two of Hunslet's three tries to cut the visitors' lead to eight points, before Normington and Ollett were shown yellow cards for their role in a mass brawl.