Rams ease past plucky Bears to seal place in Betfred Challenge Cup Third Round.
Eighty years since the Rams last won the Challenge Cup, this year’s campaign began with a second-round tie against amateur side Ashton Bears of the North West Mens League Premier Division, who were facing a semi-professional team for the first time in their history.
It was Ashton who managed the first score of the game after two minutes when Matty Smith pounced on a grubber to score and with a successful conversion by Rob Sexton, the Bears found themselves with a somewhat unexpected six-point advantage in the early stages.
Despite some pressure, the Rams couldn’t quite find their rhythm but managed to answer back after fifteen minute when Ronan Dixon went over for his first score in a Rams jersey underneath the sticks and with a successful conversion from Paul Sykes it brought the scores level.
The Rams then took the lead on twenty-three minutes with a Paul Sykes penalty goal from twenty-five metres out, but the scores were back level seven minutes later when Rob Sexton levelled with a penalty of his own from underneath the sticks.
It was the Rams who were to go into the break ahead however when Perry Whiteley got his second try in Rams colours following a kick to the corner and Sykes’ excellent conversion meant the lead was six point at the hooter.
Shortly after the interval, Paul Sykes nudged the Rams further in front with a second penalty goal of the afternoon and after this the Rams soon then began showing their dominance and scored shortly after through Scotland Captain Dale Ferguson.
Although the Bears pressed well and managed to force several goal line dropouts, it was the Rams who managed to score back-to-back tries with less than ten minutes remaining. Firstly Jimmy Beckett powered over from close range then Scotland International Davey Dixon finished well after a slick move the Rams’ right. Caelum Jordan then rounded off the victory on seventy-eight minutes with a late try, his third in two games.
After the game Rams Head Coach Liam Finn said, “It was a really tough game out there today, I thought that Ashton were outstanding and challenged us for eighty minutes, it certainly wasn’t comfortable for us.
I’m happy with our lads though and the way we stuck at it, it took time to break them down and we would’ve preferred to have made the game more comfortable early on but that’s credit to Ashton.”
Our next game sees us face Midlands Hurricanes in our first Betfred League One home game of the season (15:00).
Ashton Bears (8): Smith, Ashby, Rothwell, J.Pilling, T.Pilling, Sexton, Hopkins, A.Jones, Greaves, L.Jones, Green, Thornley, Smith.
Interchanges: Greenhalgh, Ireland, O’Donnell, Hampson, Smyth (18th)
Tries: Smith (2’)
Conversions: Sexton (1/1)
Penalty Goal: Sexton (31’)
Dewsbury Rams (38): Restall, D.Dixon, Jordan, Greensmith, Whiteley, Sykes, Turner, Beckett, Butterworth, R.Dixon, Graham, Garside, Collinson.
Interchanges: O’Connor, Morris, Ferguson, Walker, Davies (18th)
Tries: R. Dixon (16’), Whiteley (34’), Ferguson (57’), Beckett (71’), D. Dixon (73’), Jordan (78’)
Conversions: Sykes (3/3), Turner (2/3)
Penalty Goal: Sykes (23’, 44’)
