Bank Top Harriers 12 Keighley 16

Keighley maintained top spot with two hard-earned and well-deserved points.

In the first half the visitors played up the slope with the wind in their faces on a pitch cut up due to recent rain.

Hooker Danny Barrett registered their first points, diving over from dummy half after catching Bank Top napping.

The conversion was missed and the lead was short-lived after some sloppy tackling led to the hosts’ first try under the sticks with an easy conversion.

The strong wind and muddy conditions meant neither team really had any cohesion in the first half and there were quite a few dropped balls.

Bank Top got on the scoresheet again through broken play with a try to the left of the posts and the added extras put them 12-4 up.

Keighley suffered a blow halfway through the first period, losing stand-off Karl Akrigg to a knee injury. It meant shuffling around an already-depleted team, due to work commitments and injuries, but they rallied together well.

Props Danny Lunn and Steve Wrench led the way with some impressive drives and great tackling, along with Richard Blackburn. The hard work paid off just before the break when Barrett put Lunn through a gap to crash over for a well-earned try.

Kris Gott added the conversion, making it 12-10 to Bank Top at half-time.

The second half saw Keighley play down the hill with the wind behind them and a much tighter defence made it hard for the hosts to make inroads. Some good drives by Shaun Metcalf and young Jamie Stevenson, who continues to impress, made good yards and strong tackles.

The only points of the second half were to Keighley after some fantastic tackling by Rick Barr, Josh Lynam and Quinten Sneyd.

Keighley forced an error from a scrum ten metres from Bank Top’s line and Barr was quickest to react, picking up the dropped ball and scoring under the posts.

Gott added the conversion to put Keighley 16-12 ahead and, though the Bradford side threw everything at them in the last ten minutes, they couldn’t find a way through Keighley’s defence.

There are no fixtures this weekend in the Pennine League due to the Super League Grand Final.