Rams exit Betfred Challenge Cup after late defeat against York Knights at FLAIR Stadium.
Following on from last week’s AB Sundecks 1895 Cup defeat at the hands of Bradford, the Rams were back in cup action, this time Round 3 of the Betfred Challenge Cup against York Knights.
It was a competitive start to the game with the Rams having plenty of pressure on the Knights line but it was Taylor Pemberton who scored the first points of the game from the boot for the visitors after a penalty was awarded for offside.
However, Calum Turner answered straight back with a penalty of his own to bring the scores level just three minutes later. The Rams then went ahead when Perry Whiteley scored his second try of the season after some great handling gave him an easy run in to score.
Just before the break Calum Turner kicked a second penalty goal to extend the Rams’ half time lead to six points.
With the pitch becoming heavy underfoot the game turned into a real war of attrition after the break with neither side able trouble the scoreboard, until Oliver Field went over for York in the sixty-third minute with the conversion from Pemberton bringing the scores level.
With both sides looking to clinch a result in eight minutes it was the visitors who got the winning score with just a couple of minutes remaining, Nikau Williams with a try under the sticks.
After the game Rams Head Coach Dale Ferguson said, “I think that today we really put a shift in for the eighty minutes, we got some really good minutes out of our pack and looked like a good team.
We’ve showed glimpses all the way through pre-season that we can play as a good unit and today I think that was our best effort so far, there were a couple of slip-ups that we need to evaluate but we’ve got a little break now and we’ll be good to go for the first game of the season.”
Our next game is our Betfred Championship Round 1 clash on Sunday 17th March against Liam Finn’s Halifax Panthers at FLAIR Stadium, with kick off at 15:00.
Dewsbury Rams (8): O’Connor, Whiteley, Greensmith, M.Walker, Carr, Hookem, Turner, Beckett, Davies, J.Walker, Graham, Dawson, Collinson.
Interchanges: Field, Hird, R.Dixon, Russell, Lawrence (18th)
Tries: Whiteley (28′)
Conversions: Turner (0/1)
Penalty: Turner (22′, 39′)
York Knights (14): Donaghy, Coggle, Harrison, Bailey, Ward, Williams, Pemberton, Taai, Jubb, Teanby, Field, Reynolds, Thompson.
Interchanges: Daley, Fitzsimmons, Santi, Price, Brown (18th)
Tries: Field (63′), Williams (78′)
Conversions: Pemberton (2/2)
Penalty: Pemberton (19′)
H/T: 8-2
