Keighley 22 Old Rishworthians 3

KEIGHLEY’S run continued as they notched their fourth win in five outings since the new year.

It was seldom pretty, with the two packs struggling for dominance on a heavy pitch, but once the home forwards took control in the second half, the result was never in doubt.

An early penalty miss by full back Alex Brown was a setback for Keighley and a sharp break by the same player might have brought a try if his pass had found wingman Luke Carter.

It was, however, the visitors who drew first blood when full back Joe Billing converted a penalty award after 15 minutes of play.

The loss of Rob Wilkinson with a hamstring problem caused Keighley to rearrange their back division.

After a strong run by prop David Smith, Brown, in his more accustomed position of stand-off, began to force Rishworthians back with some accurate kicking to the visitors’ 22-metre area.

A series of five-metre line-outs were bravely defended before Leigh Sugden finally barged over for a try, converted by Brown, to give Keighley a half-time lead.

The second half saw Keighley’s forwards increasingly on top as their superior fitness and technique began to count.

The front row of Craig Spencer, Will Armitage and Sam Booker was particularly impressive, both in the set-pieces and in open play, with Booker especially catching the eye with some barging bursts.

Former Cougar Andy Shickell was the pick of the visiting pack, while centre Matthew Hunt-Brown’s strength caused a few problems to the generally sound Keighley midfield defence.

On the whole, however, Rishworthians posed few threats to the Keighley line, whereas the home forwards battered away for long periods at the opposite end.

With scrum half David Needham working well behind a rampant pack, he was able to feed a try-scoring pass to Brown, who also added the conversion.

A Brown penalty extended the lead before Spencer showed a remarkable turn of speed from the front of a line-out to touch down.

Keighley desperately struggled to find a fourth try and a bonus point but time was against them.

The victory, however, edges them another step up into sixth place with a top-four finish a distinct possibility.