Keighley suffer narrow defeat against Old Rishworthians

The match kicked off with Keighley almost scoring in the first five minutes, but they lost possession at the crucial moment.

The following twenty minutes saw a midfield stalemate, dominated by defences and a lack of cohesion from both sides, resulting in a series of errors.

Keighley eventually gained some ground thanks to their forwards, leading to Ryan Gibson breaking free and teaming up with Lucas Uren for a try.

This breakthrough was followed by another try from Sam Blakely, who capitalised on a long pass from Fin Meegan.

However, Keighley’s momentum was hindered by sloppy play, gifting possession back to their opponents at key moments.

Rishworthians, despite feeling the pressure, maintained a resilient defence and seized their opportunities to move the ball wide.

Their efforts paid off when Dylan Hilton managed to score in the corner after a tap penalty, giving Rishworthians a boost.

Towards the end of the first half, Keighley’s forwards and backs combined well, leading to a try under the posts for Max Wild, converted by Fin Meegan.

As the second half commenced, Rishworthians exerted early pressure, with Dylan Hilton again finding space to score, and Neil Afioga slotting in the conversion.

Keighley responded with determination, advancing down the field, but once again losing the ball over the line.

Afioga took advantage of a weak pass from Keighley, intercepting it and scoring under the posts, adding the conversion too.

Keighley fought back, setting up a scrum deep in opposition territory and allowing Ryan Gibson to drive over the line, with Meegan converting.

However, their efforts were marred by poor execution, as another loose pass was intercepted by Rishworthians’ Ellis Armstrong who scored, with Afioga adding the extras.

Rishworthians started to dominate the game, forcing Keighley to play from deep within their own half.

Keighley managed to secure a long-range penalty which Meegan successfully converted.

But their hopes were dashed when an offside player handed Rishworthians a penalty, which Afioga converted, sealing the victory.

Keighley’s performance was summed up as disappointing, with their lack of accuracy on the try line and two interception tries proving too much to overcome.

The club commented: "A very disappointing start to the season for Keighley, losing to a young enthusiastic Rishworthians."

They acknowledged the quality of Rishworthians’ defence and praised their opponents' efforts, stating: "Credit to Rishworthians for their hard-fought victory."

However, they also recognised that their own errors played a significant role in the loss.

They stated: "Keighley in many respects threw the game away, their lack of accuracy on the try line and giving away two interception tries was always going to be difficult to overcome."