Vikings edge past a much-improved Rams side at the DCBL Stadium.
On what was a scorching afternoon in Cheshire, the Rams were looking to get their first away win of the season and the sweltering conditions certainly played their part throughout the game.
Things didn’t start off great for the Rams as Jack Owens scored and then converted his try to put the home side six points up in the first five minutes. The Rams battled back well though and continued to force Widnes errors as the game turned scrappy for the next twenty minutes or so.
The game needed a bit of magic and that came when Featherstone loanee Bayley Gill scored his first try in Rams colours when he broke the Vikings line before chipping over the full-back and collecting to score. Sykes’ conversion brought the game level. The Rams went into the break six points up after Brad Graham collected a high kick to the corner to score, which was again converted by Sykes.
Into the second half and Widnes were the first to get points on the board when Keiran Dixon went over in the corner, but the missed conversion meant the Rams still had the lead. This lead was extended when another high kick to the corner was fumbled by the Vikings and Ben Blackmore gleefully collected to extend the Rams lead to six.
With fifteen minutes to go the Rams were still ahead, but sadly couldn’t hold on to the lead when firstly Ryan Ince and then Jack Owens scored to give the home side the advantage late on. Despite their best efforts in the dying minutes the Rams were unable to get over for the try that would’ve levelled the game.
After the game, Head Coach Liam Finn said “I’m really proud of the effort today by the lads, everybody gave everything today from minute one to minute eighty and I’m really disappointed to lose it like that. There’s a lot of things that I thought were really good and that we’re improving on every week and again it’s another improvement, we want to be in contests but it’s going to take sometime to get the cohesion together.”
Another tough test ahead for the Rams next weekend, as we return to action against Leigh Centurions at the Tetley’s Stadium on Sunday 17th July.
Widnes Vikings (20): Owens, Ince, Fleming, Roberts, Dixon, Craven, Smith, Lawton, Fozard, Farnworth, Grady, Wilde, Bent.
Interchanges: Lyons, Fields, Davies, Baker.
Tries: Owens (6’, 74’), Dixon (46’), Ince (66’)
Conversions: Owens (2/4)
Dewsbury Rams (16): Turner, Gabriel, Graham, Dixon, Blackmore, Sykes, Gill, Morris, Butterworth, Kirby, Garside, Knowles, Mathiou.
Interchanges: Sweeting, Blagbrough, Walker, Beckett.
Tries: Gill (20’), Graham (33’), Blackmore (52’).
Conversions: Sykes (2/3)
