Matty Beharrell's late drop goal cooks Bradford Bulls' goose

ON AN afternoon when the bizarre often seemed commonplace, Keighley Cougars retained the Joe Phillips Memorial Trophy with a drop goal two minutes from time by scrum half Matty Beharrell.

Bradford Bulls, with skipper Leon Pryce providing an experienced link, led 12-0 after 22 minutes and 24-12 after 51 minutes.

But Cougars, who were older and slightly stronger, twice hauled themselves level before Beharrell took his opportunity to win what was a thoroughly entertaining contest.

Bulls, who received a healthy round of applause from their fans when they came out to warm up, played towards them in the Terry Hollindrake Stand in the first half.

And they were the first to show when left winger Ethan Ryan was ankle tapped by Josh Casey in the fourth minute.

Cougars were put under pressure from an Andy Gabriel knock on from a Joe Keyes bomb, and the hosts were then penalised for not standing square, with the visitors capitalising as Pryce dummied twice in a crossfield run before Keyes put second row Colton Roche over.

A high shot by Josh Tonks on Pryce prompted the first melee after ten minutes, and there was soon another for referee Liam Moore to police before Cougars responded with their first meaningful attacks, involving second row Emmerson Whittel and full back Ritchie Hawkyard.

After 22 minutes, Pryce's bomb gave centre James Mendeika the chance to put hooker Joe Lumb over, with Keyes adding the goal for 12-0.

Cougars then lost full back Hawkyard after a big hit from former Cougar Ross Peltier, but they were level by the 35th minute, replacements Sean Hesketh, who used his strength to force his way over, and Nathan Kitson scoring tries which Beharrell improved.

Gabriel had also gone close but the Cougars would not have the satisfaction of being level at half-time as centre Ross Oakes went over for the Bulls from a break by second row James Bentley, Keyes' goal making it 18-12.

A crowd of 2,131, which Cougars will not match over the whole season, brought its own problems in the first half, with intermittent messages over the tannoy announcing that cars would be clamped or towed away from (a) the police station (b) the industrial estate and (c) the nearby roundabout if the owners did not return to move them to placate at least one angry wagon driver, who was blocked in.

But that was nothing compared to the Canadian snow goose who landed in the Bulls half after the interval and simply refused to fly away, even when half-heartedly threatened by Cougars employee Darren Greenwood.

That was all right as long as play was in the Cougars half but when play switched to the Bulls half, the action had to be stopped before said snow goose decided that the sights of Riddlesden were a better option than Cougar Park.

Pryce, who put Ryan away before half-time as the Bulls tried to extend their six-point lead, almost put replacement Jon Magrin over with a neat pass early in the second half.

Keyes unlocked the Cougars defence, however, when winger Ilies Macani scored in the 51st minute, Oscar Thomas adding the goal.

Cougars needed some inspiration, and with the Bulls hunting a fifth try on the hour, Gabriel intercepted a pass near his own line and ran 85 metres to score.

Beharrell's goal cut the deficit to six points, and they were level four minutes later when the powerful Whittel scored one of the best tries of the game after creator Beharrell caught his own chip, Beharrell's goal tying up matters at 24-24.

As the young Bulls faded, there looked to be only one winner as Cougars again bossed affairs.

A Liam Darville pass to Vinny Finigan was ruled forward on the left wing, and prop Scott Law dropped a pass with the line beckoning when it looked easier to catch it.

There was a worry at the other end, however, when Darville failed to catch Thomas' bomb.

However, in general the Cougars were looking the more likely, and they worked themselves into a position for Beharrell to drop the vital one-pointer in the 78th minute.

With that being the only score since the 64th minute, it seemed as if TV broadcaster John Helm would have to jointly present the trophy to Pryce and Keighley skipper James Feather.

But Beharrell's late score avoided that eventuality, and the disappointed Bulls left the pitch to give Cougars centre stage on an afternoon when the two sides did their utmost to keep the spectators warm.

The only worries for Cougars, whose man of the match award went to the whole team, was seeing former Bull Nathan Conroy on crutches afterwards following a leg injury, while Hawkyard also finished in the dug out after that heavy tackle from Peltier.

Cougars: Hawkyard; Dixon, Casey, Ryder, Gabriel; Milner, Beharrell; Law, Feather, Rawlins, Whitel, Tonks, Emmett. Interchange: Darville, Conroy, Nicholson, Brook, Cherryholme, Welsh, Bailey, Hesketh, Finigan, Kitson.

Bulls: Campbell; Ryan, Oakes, Mendeika, Macani; Pryce, Keyes; Peltier, Lumb, Kirk, Bentley, Roche, Wilkinson. Interchange: Halafihi, Hodgson, Rickett, Thomas, Tomlinson, Pickersgill, Vaznys, Butterworth, Magrin, Moxon.