Entry 14, 15th November 2010.
We already know that Widnes reavealed a million pound profit at the back end of last season. Quite how they did is anyone's guess and they should be saluted for their finances, but I feel another club deserves a big pat on the back.
Reading today's rugby league trade press I noticed an article in the Rugby Leaguer and League Express about Batley Bulldogs. The Championship's constant over achievers have announced a trading profit of £32,973 for the year ending 31st October 2010. This followed a £7,257 loss during the same period in 2009. This points to really prudent book-keeping at the Bulldogs and suggests they don't throw money about like other teams have done in the Championship and Super League.
Batley have always given the impression of being a small but well run club that won't over stretch themselves and are another shining example of what can be achieved with a committed coach and squad, in addition to a dedicated board of directors.
I was delighted that they won the Northern Rail Cup in 2010, and this despite my red rose roots. It was one of the games of the season and if I think on, over the next few days I'll post the report I penned for the Rugby Leaguer and League Express on here.
I'm sure that most of the profit would have been from prize monsy involved in lifting the cup but even so it is a highly creditable position to announce and I for one am looking forward to Leigh's visit to the Mount in 2011.
Showing posts with label Widnes Vikings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Widnes Vikings. Show all posts
Monday, 15 November 2010
Friday, 19 March 2010
Championship Match report - Widnes v Halifax
WIDNES VIKINGS 28
HALIFAX 30
By Dave Parkinson.
Two unbeaten starts to the Championship season went head to head at the Stobart Stadium and at the end of eighty minutes it was the Vikings previously unblemished record in all competitions that went west. In truth it was a scrappy encounter between two of the top three sides in the formulative table and ultimately the bigger error count of the Vikings stopped them from repeating last season's success over Halifax.
Wearing a specially commissioned kit to help raise awareness for the "Everyman" charity, the Vikings started strongly in the televised Championship game when Thomas Coyle, in for tonsilitis affected skipper Mark Smith surged over from dummy half after a couple of strong runs from Matt Gardner and Shane Grady.
Grady, scorer of 100 points in his first seven games of 2010, added the goal and the Vikings dominated the first quarter without registering a further score.
A rising error count and regular penalties stopped the game from flowing although in defence of both teams they continued to fly at each other with some committed defence, while experimenting with their attack. One such tackle on Dave Allen after 21 minutes forced an error and from that possession and a further penalty Halifax were on the Widnes line threatening.
As the ball came right influential halfback Luke Branighan passed for Lee Paterson and his quick hands gave Rob Worrincy the chance to turn inside and beat five Widnes players to the try line for his 7th try of a productive season so far. Paterson levelled the game and this seemed to spur the visitors on. Halifax introduced Mark Gleeson to the game and the former Warrington man added an element of control and purpose.
In spite of this, a couple of Fax mistakes helped heap pressure on them and their defence looked set to crack before a wild pass from Coyle dipped and bobbled in front of James Webster and then evaded the clutches of Allen. Spying the opportunity of an intercept former Salford and Wakefield man Paul White moved on the loose ball and showed blistering pace over the first forty metres before holding off the spirited chase of Paddy Flynn and fullback Scott Yates.
Halifax finally started to roll forward as a unit and after the initial work of starting props Makali Aizue and Dominic Maloney, Frank Watene and particularly Said Tamghart made more than a nuisance of themselves.
A penalty put Halifax in prime territory and they didn't need a second invite when that man Branighan went to the line before a superb short pass brought Paterson his second try of the season and a further goal. Ben Black's towering punt caught Yates out and Dave Wrench followed up to score, but te try was disallowed for offside by the video referee while at the other end, Flynn suffered the same fate after taking an attacking kick and forcing his way over the line only for part of his body to go touch in goal before the grounding.
Spurred on, Widnes enjoyed the better of the closing minutes and registered their second try just before the hooter when Anthony Thackeray kicked high and wide from dummy half. White spilled under pressure of Flynn and Lee Doran grounded the bouncing ball to make it 16-10. Grady struck a near perfect conversion attempt that looked like it would creep over before striking the crossbarl.
The first ten minutes of the second half belonged to Halifax and Paterson increased their advantage with a penalty goal. Widnes were fortunate it wasn't more as White surged downfield only to be brought down by Yates and then a Branighan kick found an onrushing Tamghart who ran away from his supporting players.
Twelve minutes into the second half Widnes targetted the middle of the Halifax defence and on the third occasion it cracked when Thackeray's inside pass found Coyle between defenders and he surged between the posts amid bodies to score. The conversion closed the gap to two points before Halifax demonstrated their attacking play only for White to be denied by the video referee after Black had run behind a decoy.
The next eight minutes were even more scrappy and it looked like neither side wanted to take control before Thackeray ran from dummy half, sent Doran striding through a huge hole and the impressive Liam Farrell tracked up the middle to score under the posts. Grady's conversion ensured the Vikings held a 22-18 advantage after 62 minutes although the 20 year old centre could only look on as first Halifax tackled back to put Matt Gardner into touch after quick play down the left before a 30 metre penalty attempt struck the post and bounced out.
Halifax cleared their lines and then struck for a fourth try after 72 minutes when Branighan kicked right for Widnes to fumble. Eighteen year old substitute Anthony Bowman collected the loose ball and cleverly passed between two men for fullback Shad Royston to continue his prolific start to the season and ground his 9th try. With Paterson off the field, Branighan took on goal-kicking duties and converted for a narrow advantage.
The winning try came four minutes from time when Fax pushed close to the line and Branighan threaded a grubber kick behind the posts for Sean Penkywicz to pounce ahead of a couple of Vikings players. Branighan converted to make it 30-22 and time was against the Vikings. Buoyed by their recent late success over Barrow, Widnes took up the challenge and scored on the right through Richard Varkulis. The centre crossed for his 4th try of the season after excellent work from Wigan loan-man Ben Davies. Grady converted from the touchline in double quick time and the Vikings pushed down both wings before Flynn kicked ahead as the hooter sounded and Royston calmly took the ball into touch to confirm a 30-28 victory for the visitors.
Teams:
Widnes: Scott Yates, Paddy Flynn, Richard Varkulis, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, James Webster; Gareth Haggerty, Thomas Coyle, Jim Gannon, Liam Farrell, Lee Doran, Dave Allen. Subs: Ben Kavanagh, Matt Strong, Ben Davies, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Coyle (4, 52), Doran (39), Farrell (62), Varkulis (79).
Goals: Grady 4/6.
Halifax: Shad Royston, Rob Worrincy, Jon Goddard, Lee Paterson, Paul White; Luke Branighan, Ben Black, Makali Aizue, Sean Penkywicz, Dominic Maloney, David Larder, Dave Wrench, Stanley Gene. Subs: Mark Gleeson, Anthony Bowman, Said Tamghart, Frank Watene.
Tries: Worrincy (23), White (29), Paterson (33), Royston (72), Penkywicz (76).
Goals: Paterson 3/4, Branighan 2/2.
Referee: Rob Hicks
Penalties: 10-10.
Attendance: 3,286.
HALIFAX 30
By Dave Parkinson.
Two unbeaten starts to the Championship season went head to head at the Stobart Stadium and at the end of eighty minutes it was the Vikings previously unblemished record in all competitions that went west. In truth it was a scrappy encounter between two of the top three sides in the formulative table and ultimately the bigger error count of the Vikings stopped them from repeating last season's success over Halifax.
Wearing a specially commissioned kit to help raise awareness for the "Everyman" charity, the Vikings started strongly in the televised Championship game when Thomas Coyle, in for tonsilitis affected skipper Mark Smith surged over from dummy half after a couple of strong runs from Matt Gardner and Shane Grady.
Grady, scorer of 100 points in his first seven games of 2010, added the goal and the Vikings dominated the first quarter without registering a further score.
A rising error count and regular penalties stopped the game from flowing although in defence of both teams they continued to fly at each other with some committed defence, while experimenting with their attack. One such tackle on Dave Allen after 21 minutes forced an error and from that possession and a further penalty Halifax were on the Widnes line threatening.
As the ball came right influential halfback Luke Branighan passed for Lee Paterson and his quick hands gave Rob Worrincy the chance to turn inside and beat five Widnes players to the try line for his 7th try of a productive season so far. Paterson levelled the game and this seemed to spur the visitors on. Halifax introduced Mark Gleeson to the game and the former Warrington man added an element of control and purpose.
In spite of this, a couple of Fax mistakes helped heap pressure on them and their defence looked set to crack before a wild pass from Coyle dipped and bobbled in front of James Webster and then evaded the clutches of Allen. Spying the opportunity of an intercept former Salford and Wakefield man Paul White moved on the loose ball and showed blistering pace over the first forty metres before holding off the spirited chase of Paddy Flynn and fullback Scott Yates.
Halifax finally started to roll forward as a unit and after the initial work of starting props Makali Aizue and Dominic Maloney, Frank Watene and particularly Said Tamghart made more than a nuisance of themselves.
A penalty put Halifax in prime territory and they didn't need a second invite when that man Branighan went to the line before a superb short pass brought Paterson his second try of the season and a further goal. Ben Black's towering punt caught Yates out and Dave Wrench followed up to score, but te try was disallowed for offside by the video referee while at the other end, Flynn suffered the same fate after taking an attacking kick and forcing his way over the line only for part of his body to go touch in goal before the grounding.
Spurred on, Widnes enjoyed the better of the closing minutes and registered their second try just before the hooter when Anthony Thackeray kicked high and wide from dummy half. White spilled under pressure of Flynn and Lee Doran grounded the bouncing ball to make it 16-10. Grady struck a near perfect conversion attempt that looked like it would creep over before striking the crossbarl.
The first ten minutes of the second half belonged to Halifax and Paterson increased their advantage with a penalty goal. Widnes were fortunate it wasn't more as White surged downfield only to be brought down by Yates and then a Branighan kick found an onrushing Tamghart who ran away from his supporting players.
Twelve minutes into the second half Widnes targetted the middle of the Halifax defence and on the third occasion it cracked when Thackeray's inside pass found Coyle between defenders and he surged between the posts amid bodies to score. The conversion closed the gap to two points before Halifax demonstrated their attacking play only for White to be denied by the video referee after Black had run behind a decoy.
The next eight minutes were even more scrappy and it looked like neither side wanted to take control before Thackeray ran from dummy half, sent Doran striding through a huge hole and the impressive Liam Farrell tracked up the middle to score under the posts. Grady's conversion ensured the Vikings held a 22-18 advantage after 62 minutes although the 20 year old centre could only look on as first Halifax tackled back to put Matt Gardner into touch after quick play down the left before a 30 metre penalty attempt struck the post and bounced out.
Halifax cleared their lines and then struck for a fourth try after 72 minutes when Branighan kicked right for Widnes to fumble. Eighteen year old substitute Anthony Bowman collected the loose ball and cleverly passed between two men for fullback Shad Royston to continue his prolific start to the season and ground his 9th try. With Paterson off the field, Branighan took on goal-kicking duties and converted for a narrow advantage.
The winning try came four minutes from time when Fax pushed close to the line and Branighan threaded a grubber kick behind the posts for Sean Penkywicz to pounce ahead of a couple of Vikings players. Branighan converted to make it 30-22 and time was against the Vikings. Buoyed by their recent late success over Barrow, Widnes took up the challenge and scored on the right through Richard Varkulis. The centre crossed for his 4th try of the season after excellent work from Wigan loan-man Ben Davies. Grady converted from the touchline in double quick time and the Vikings pushed down both wings before Flynn kicked ahead as the hooter sounded and Royston calmly took the ball into touch to confirm a 30-28 victory for the visitors.
Teams:
Widnes: Scott Yates, Paddy Flynn, Richard Varkulis, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, James Webster; Gareth Haggerty, Thomas Coyle, Jim Gannon, Liam Farrell, Lee Doran, Dave Allen. Subs: Ben Kavanagh, Matt Strong, Ben Davies, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Coyle (4, 52), Doran (39), Farrell (62), Varkulis (79).
Goals: Grady 4/6.
Halifax: Shad Royston, Rob Worrincy, Jon Goddard, Lee Paterson, Paul White; Luke Branighan, Ben Black, Makali Aizue, Sean Penkywicz, Dominic Maloney, David Larder, Dave Wrench, Stanley Gene. Subs: Mark Gleeson, Anthony Bowman, Said Tamghart, Frank Watene.
Tries: Worrincy (23), White (29), Paterson (33), Royston (72), Penkywicz (76).
Goals: Paterson 3/4, Branighan 2/2.
Referee: Rob Hicks
Penalties: 10-10.
Attendance: 3,286.
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Challenge Cup Round 3 Report - Widnes v Wigan St Judes
WIDNES VIKINGS 64
WIGAN ST JUDES 12
By Dave Parkinson
Widnes Vikings secured a home draw against French team FC Lezignan with an eventually overwhelming victory over amateurs Wigan St Judes. The visitors however, can take a lot of credit for the work they put in with Paul Pendlebury, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones, Dave Picton, Dean and Glen Hunt and Tye Ford impressing at various times of a spirited display from the National Conference League side.
The Vikings had good contributions from Shane Grady, Paddy Flynn, halfbacks Anthony Thackeray and Thomas Coyle while Gareth Haggerty, Richard Varkulis and Dave Allen had their moments. Danny Hulme also impressed with a two try debut, cheered on by dad David, a Widnes legend in his playing days.
St Judes opened confidently, linking passages of play together and making metres with ease and after Picton missed a fifth minute penalty, the Wigan side again went on attack with Dean Hunt working play left for the dangerous Corfield who was then able to smuggle the ball from the tackle which allowed the supporting Glen Hunt to dash over at the side of the posts. This time Picton converted and at 6-0 there were calls from the St Judes fans to finish the game at that point.
Sadly for them there were 73 minutes left and although it took a little time, Widnes found their feet in the game. Matt Gardner made a strong 50 metre burst upfield which brought a stunning one on one tackle from Pendlebury. A couple of tackles later Allen held off two tacklers to score and although Grady missed the goal he was on song in the 19th minute when the Vikings turned back to back possession into points despite some good work in defence again from Pendlebury. It was Anthony Thackeray that went over and three further tries signalled a devastating 12 minute spell of play when St Judes rarely touched the ball.
Haggerty split the defence for Lee Doran to race around the fullback from 40 metres and he was quickly followed over the line by Scott Yates and Dave Houghton as 10-6 became 26-6 at half-time, while it could have been worse for the visitors if Thomas Coyle's pass for Matt Gardner had not been judged forward.
Even the most optimistic St Judes fan must have been fearing the worst when within a minute Hulme had sent Grady charging 25 metres for a try but the plucky visitors scored an excellent effort of their own within three minutes when the ball was firstly kicked across field by Picton before Jones and King twice combined on the right for King to eventually score. Picton then goaled from the touch line before Hulme scurried over for his first try after 48 minutes. Grady goaled and also added the extras to two more tries as first Richard Varkulis ran an excellent line from Thackeray's pass, then Hulme backed up after a four man move brought desperate and fine defence from Jones who slowed the move right down before a third offload found the Vikings youngster. At 42-12 the game was gone for Judes but they still had their moments with Hunt, Picton and John McMullen all trying to pull the strings in midfield while Pendlebury always looked capable of making a break if the Vikings defence switched off.
Thankfully for boss Paul Cullen the defence worked well while Thackeray created a carbon copy second try for Varkulis to take the score past 50 and spark another mini point glut at the end which the Wigan amateurs didn't really deserve. A short ball saw Allen cross for his second before the Vikings 12th and final try was again created by Thackeray with Coyle carving through the defence on the angle for Grady to kick his 8th goal and 20th point of the evening.
Widnes: Scott Yates, Paddy Flynn, Dean Thompson, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, Thomas Coyle; Gareth Haggerty, Mark Smith, Lee Doran, Richard Varkulis, Matt Strong, Dave Allen.
Subs: Ben Kavanagh, Chris Gerard, Danny Hulme, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Allen 2 (13, 71), Thackeray (19), Doran (21), Yates (26), Houghton (31), Grady (41), Hulme 2 (48, 59), Varkulis 2 (55, 69), Coyle (75).
Goals: Grady 8/12.
Wigan St Judes: Paul Pendlebury, Ryan Ainscough, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones; Dave Picton, Dean Hunt; Martin Riley, Glen Hunt, Peter Cain, Lee Maiden, Darren Banks, Mark Whittaker. Subs: Kevin Howells, Danny Clayton, Tye Ford, John McMullen.
Tries: G. Hunt (7), King (44).
Goals: Picton 2/3.
Referee: Mr C Leatherbarrow.
Attendance: 1,622.
Scoring:
0-6; 4-6; 10-6; 16-6; 20-6; 26-6; 30-6; 30-12; 36-12; 42-12; 48-12; 52-12; 58-12; 64-12.
WIGAN ST JUDES 12
By Dave Parkinson
Widnes Vikings secured a home draw against French team FC Lezignan with an eventually overwhelming victory over amateurs Wigan St Judes. The visitors however, can take a lot of credit for the work they put in with Paul Pendlebury, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones, Dave Picton, Dean and Glen Hunt and Tye Ford impressing at various times of a spirited display from the National Conference League side.
The Vikings had good contributions from Shane Grady, Paddy Flynn, halfbacks Anthony Thackeray and Thomas Coyle while Gareth Haggerty, Richard Varkulis and Dave Allen had their moments. Danny Hulme also impressed with a two try debut, cheered on by dad David, a Widnes legend in his playing days.
St Judes opened confidently, linking passages of play together and making metres with ease and after Picton missed a fifth minute penalty, the Wigan side again went on attack with Dean Hunt working play left for the dangerous Corfield who was then able to smuggle the ball from the tackle which allowed the supporting Glen Hunt to dash over at the side of the posts. This time Picton converted and at 6-0 there were calls from the St Judes fans to finish the game at that point.
Sadly for them there were 73 minutes left and although it took a little time, Widnes found their feet in the game. Matt Gardner made a strong 50 metre burst upfield which brought a stunning one on one tackle from Pendlebury. A couple of tackles later Allen held off two tacklers to score and although Grady missed the goal he was on song in the 19th minute when the Vikings turned back to back possession into points despite some good work in defence again from Pendlebury. It was Anthony Thackeray that went over and three further tries signalled a devastating 12 minute spell of play when St Judes rarely touched the ball.
Haggerty split the defence for Lee Doran to race around the fullback from 40 metres and he was quickly followed over the line by Scott Yates and Dave Houghton as 10-6 became 26-6 at half-time, while it could have been worse for the visitors if Thomas Coyle's pass for Matt Gardner had not been judged forward.
Even the most optimistic St Judes fan must have been fearing the worst when within a minute Hulme had sent Grady charging 25 metres for a try but the plucky visitors scored an excellent effort of their own within three minutes when the ball was firstly kicked across field by Picton before Jones and King twice combined on the right for King to eventually score. Picton then goaled from the touch line before Hulme scurried over for his first try after 48 minutes. Grady goaled and also added the extras to two more tries as first Richard Varkulis ran an excellent line from Thackeray's pass, then Hulme backed up after a four man move brought desperate and fine defence from Jones who slowed the move right down before a third offload found the Vikings youngster. At 42-12 the game was gone for Judes but they still had their moments with Hunt, Picton and John McMullen all trying to pull the strings in midfield while Pendlebury always looked capable of making a break if the Vikings defence switched off.
Thankfully for boss Paul Cullen the defence worked well while Thackeray created a carbon copy second try for Varkulis to take the score past 50 and spark another mini point glut at the end which the Wigan amateurs didn't really deserve. A short ball saw Allen cross for his second before the Vikings 12th and final try was again created by Thackeray with Coyle carving through the defence on the angle for Grady to kick his 8th goal and 20th point of the evening.
Widnes: Scott Yates, Paddy Flynn, Dean Thompson, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, Thomas Coyle; Gareth Haggerty, Mark Smith, Lee Doran, Richard Varkulis, Matt Strong, Dave Allen.
Subs: Ben Kavanagh, Chris Gerard, Danny Hulme, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Allen 2 (13, 71), Thackeray (19), Doran (21), Yates (26), Houghton (31), Grady (41), Hulme 2 (48, 59), Varkulis 2 (55, 69), Coyle (75).
Goals: Grady 8/12.
Wigan St Judes: Paul Pendlebury, Ryan Ainscough, Gavin Corfield, Darley King, Nathan Jones; Dave Picton, Dean Hunt; Martin Riley, Glen Hunt, Peter Cain, Lee Maiden, Darren Banks, Mark Whittaker. Subs: Kevin Howells, Danny Clayton, Tye Ford, John McMullen.
Tries: G. Hunt (7), King (44).
Goals: Picton 2/3.
Referee: Mr C Leatherbarrow.
Attendance: 1,622.
Scoring:
0-6; 4-6; 10-6; 16-6; 20-6; 26-6; 30-6; 30-12; 36-12; 42-12; 48-12; 52-12; 58-12; 64-12.
Sunday, 28 February 2010
Co-operative Championship Match Report: WIDNES VIKINGS 72 KEIGHLEY COUGARS 10
Promoted Keighley Cougars had won their previous nine games before running into an expansive Widnes Vikings who passed and offloaded well and had a backline that was full of pace and strength. It was a complete mismatch at the Stobart Stadium Halton.
Centre of attention were the Vikings two young middle backs, Dean Thompson and Shane Grady. Both showed a hunger to take the ball in and their prowess inside the Keighley twenty metre area was impressive, resulting in try hat-tricks for the pair with Grady also booting ten goals.
The rout began in the 4th minute when Grady went through. The form of dual contract signing Liam Farrell was also impressive and he set the tone and position for the second try when good passing left saw Grady find Matt Gardner at the corner. A touchline goal from Grady made it 12-0 and the Cougars began to stir with props Andy Shickell and Brendan Rawlings making yards. Unfortunately on the back of their good work little followed.
Twenty two minutes in, the Vikings third try came when a quick tap penalty saw Farell accelerate, twist and spin out of a tackle only for Cougars fullback George Raynor to chase back and then deny supporting Dave Houghton. The ball then moved right at pace and Anthony Thackeray sent Thompson in for his first try. The centre was then held up over the line but that only delayed the inevitable and Dave Allen finished by the posts for Grady to goal and make it 22-0.
On the half hour, Farrell notched a well earned try when he followed Houghton before the Cougars scored their only try of the first half. It was a well worked effort, stand-off Jon Presley slipping a tackle before grubber kicking to the corner for Gavin Duffy to finish well. Danny Jones added the difficult goal but 28-6 was as close as it got for the Cougars despite some impressive work around dummy half from Jamaine Wray.
With time ticking away in the first half a late raid on the left brought a powerful finish from Grady and he booted a fifth goal to make it 34-6 at half-time.
Cougars held their line for five minutes of the second half before Grady stormed through for his hat-trick off Farrell. Thompson had seen a try disallowed but there was no denying him after 49 minutes when he took a Thackeray pass and bludgeoned over. Grady goaled both tries but narrowly missed the conversion attempt to Thompson's hat-trick which brought up the fifty point mark for the Vikings and came after more good work from Thackeray.
Keighley gave a spirited response and pulled a try back from wing Craig Moss after a peach of a pass from Danny Jones, but this only seemed to antagonise the Vikings and they cut loose to score four more tries before the end. First Thomas Coyle scurried over after 66 minutes before Richard Varkulis cut in from his unfamiliar wing position to carry a defender over. Five minutes from the end Thackeray claimed a deserved try thanks to a combination of trickery and footwork before Scott Yates burned off the cover before the end to take the Vikings to 72 points and end a satisfactory afternoon's work.
WIDNES: Scott Yates, Richard Varkulis, Dean Thompson, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, James Webster; Ben Kavanagh, Mark Smith, Jim Gannon, Liam Farrell, Lee Doran, Dave Allen. Subs: Thomas Coyle, Chris Gerard, Ben Davies, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Grady 4, 38, 45, Gardner 10, Thompson 22, 49, 56, Allen 27, Farrell 30, Coyle 66, Varkulis 71, Thackeray 75, Yates 77.
Goals: Grady 10/13.
KEIGHLEY: George Raynor, Craig Moss, Tom Burton, Ollie Pursglove, Gavin Duffy; Jon Presley, Danny Jones; Andy Shickell, James Feather, Brendan Rawlins, Will Cartledge, Richard Jones, Ben Sagar.
Subs: Jamaine Wray, James Haythornthwaite, Scott Law, Ryan Benjafield.
Tries: Duffy 34, Moss 62.
Goals: Jones 1/2.
Centre of attention were the Vikings two young middle backs, Dean Thompson and Shane Grady. Both showed a hunger to take the ball in and their prowess inside the Keighley twenty metre area was impressive, resulting in try hat-tricks for the pair with Grady also booting ten goals.
The rout began in the 4th minute when Grady went through. The form of dual contract signing Liam Farrell was also impressive and he set the tone and position for the second try when good passing left saw Grady find Matt Gardner at the corner. A touchline goal from Grady made it 12-0 and the Cougars began to stir with props Andy Shickell and Brendan Rawlings making yards. Unfortunately on the back of their good work little followed.
Twenty two minutes in, the Vikings third try came when a quick tap penalty saw Farell accelerate, twist and spin out of a tackle only for Cougars fullback George Raynor to chase back and then deny supporting Dave Houghton. The ball then moved right at pace and Anthony Thackeray sent Thompson in for his first try. The centre was then held up over the line but that only delayed the inevitable and Dave Allen finished by the posts for Grady to goal and make it 22-0.
On the half hour, Farrell notched a well earned try when he followed Houghton before the Cougars scored their only try of the first half. It was a well worked effort, stand-off Jon Presley slipping a tackle before grubber kicking to the corner for Gavin Duffy to finish well. Danny Jones added the difficult goal but 28-6 was as close as it got for the Cougars despite some impressive work around dummy half from Jamaine Wray.
With time ticking away in the first half a late raid on the left brought a powerful finish from Grady and he booted a fifth goal to make it 34-6 at half-time.
Cougars held their line for five minutes of the second half before Grady stormed through for his hat-trick off Farrell. Thompson had seen a try disallowed but there was no denying him after 49 minutes when he took a Thackeray pass and bludgeoned over. Grady goaled both tries but narrowly missed the conversion attempt to Thompson's hat-trick which brought up the fifty point mark for the Vikings and came after more good work from Thackeray.
Keighley gave a spirited response and pulled a try back from wing Craig Moss after a peach of a pass from Danny Jones, but this only seemed to antagonise the Vikings and they cut loose to score four more tries before the end. First Thomas Coyle scurried over after 66 minutes before Richard Varkulis cut in from his unfamiliar wing position to carry a defender over. Five minutes from the end Thackeray claimed a deserved try thanks to a combination of trickery and footwork before Scott Yates burned off the cover before the end to take the Vikings to 72 points and end a satisfactory afternoon's work.
WIDNES: Scott Yates, Richard Varkulis, Dean Thompson, Shane Grady, Matt Gardner; Anthony Thackeray, James Webster; Ben Kavanagh, Mark Smith, Jim Gannon, Liam Farrell, Lee Doran, Dave Allen. Subs: Thomas Coyle, Chris Gerard, Ben Davies, Dave Houghton.
Tries: Grady 4, 38, 45, Gardner 10, Thompson 22, 49, 56, Allen 27, Farrell 30, Coyle 66, Varkulis 71, Thackeray 75, Yates 77.
Goals: Grady 10/13.
KEIGHLEY: George Raynor, Craig Moss, Tom Burton, Ollie Pursglove, Gavin Duffy; Jon Presley, Danny Jones; Andy Shickell, James Feather, Brendan Rawlins, Will Cartledge, Richard Jones, Ben Sagar.
Subs: Jamaine Wray, James Haythornthwaite, Scott Law, Ryan Benjafield.
Tries: Duffy 34, Moss 62.
Goals: Jones 1/2.
Saturday, 2 January 2010
In Review: Widnes Vikings 2009
A lot of people will be aware of my writing and coverage of Leigh Centurions, but for the last 12 months I have also been volunteering at Radio General, Warrington Hospital’s very own radio station. This has involved me commentating on both Widnes Vikings and Warrington Wolves.
Here is my review of the last 12 months for Widnes Vikings.
Some pre-season predictions listed Widnes as favourites for the Co-operative Championship crown and the Vikings themselves were vocal about signing players on full-time contracts.
Widnes began their season with competitive friendly games against Whitehaven and Salford but the proper fixtures brought about a dramatic turn of events.
Paired against Oldham in their opening Northern Rail Cup game, the Vikings were beaten 22-20 and in a shock move parted company with boss Steve McCormack within 72 hours.
His assistant, highly rated John Stankevitch, who has now taken the reigns at Rochdale Hornets for 2010, was placed in charge. The Stankevitch influence was immediate; the club won four of their next five games. This included a resounding 70-0 win over Championship French new boys Toulouse Olympique. That night in front of the Sky cameras, Widnes were on fire and only on rare occasions rose to such heights again over the course of the season.
Widnes by this stage had turned to former Warrington favourite Paul Cullen and he took over team matters in preparation for the next game at Halifax. That was a game lost and initially Cullen struggled with results, overseeing three defeats from his first four matches and seven in his first twelve games in charge. This included conceding a double to Leigh and a heavy home loss at the hands of Barrow.
It was around this time that the club announced it had commenced night time training instead of during the daytime. For all intents and purposes the club had gone part-time once again. This change resulted in Stankevitch leaving, Mick Cassidy returning in a strength and conditioning role and Stuart Wilkinson moved up from a role overseeing the development of younger players to become Cullen’s assistant.
The Vikings also raided Super League to boost their squad with loan captures, these included Steve Tyrer (Celtic/St Helens), Craig Hall (Hull), Jon Grayshon (Harlequins), Kevin Penny and Steve Pickersgill (both Warrington) with varying success.
From June the Vikings didn’t look back with the corner being turned in the last twenty minutes against Championship One York in a Northern Rail Cup Quarter Final. Big wins followed in the league over Featherstone and Doncaster at the Stobart Stadium while thanks to an Anthony Thackeray hat-trick and in no small part to a touch of butter fingers from Ben Black, Widnes won at Halifax 27-22 to go into the Northern Rail Cup Final.
Their opponents in the final, Barrow, had not reached a final of a cup competition since beating Widnes in an early eighties Lancashire Cup and were overawed on the day. They reverted to some rough-house tactics that the Vikings soaked up before expansive rugby brought the Northern Rail Cup back to Widnes for the first time since 2007 and ensuring the Vikings can make another application for Super League when the Licenses become available again.
Penny led the way with two tries while others came from Richard Fletcher, man-of-the-match John Duffy, making his fourth Northern Rail Cup Final appearance, Toa Kohe-Love and Richard Varkulis. Hall kicked five goals.
With Penny, Pickersgill and Hall back in Super League another dip in the Vikings form saw them fall to fifth before a flourish against Whitehaven brought a resounding 58-10 win and fourth place after everyone had completed league fixtures.
Three weeks later it was play-off time and Whitehaven were again opposition. This time there was lots of Cumbrian grit and Widnes had to use all their know-how to win 26-21 in an excellent advert for the Championship.
Their reward was a home game against Featherstone who also had a decent end to the season. Rovers had knocked Sheffield out of the play-offs and with veteran Iestyn Harris in five star form from loose forward, they repeated the tonic at the Stobart Stadium.
In another ding-dong tie, Widnes had grabbed an early lead only for Featherstone to chase it down and edge in front at half-time. The teams traded a further two tries each with Rovers clinging to a 24-26 lead when an all or nothing play from the Vikings was spilled on the twenty metre line. From the resulting scrum and possession it was that man Harris who touched down to end Widnes’ season: a real rollercoaster from start to finish.
Paddy Flynn finished the year with an extended contract and as top try scorer with twenty while outgoing Tim Hartley was the teams top point scorer with 132 from 5 tries and 56 goals.
Here is my review of the last 12 months for Widnes Vikings.
Some pre-season predictions listed Widnes as favourites for the Co-operative Championship crown and the Vikings themselves were vocal about signing players on full-time contracts.
Widnes began their season with competitive friendly games against Whitehaven and Salford but the proper fixtures brought about a dramatic turn of events.
Paired against Oldham in their opening Northern Rail Cup game, the Vikings were beaten 22-20 and in a shock move parted company with boss Steve McCormack within 72 hours.
His assistant, highly rated John Stankevitch, who has now taken the reigns at Rochdale Hornets for 2010, was placed in charge. The Stankevitch influence was immediate; the club won four of their next five games. This included a resounding 70-0 win over Championship French new boys Toulouse Olympique. That night in front of the Sky cameras, Widnes were on fire and only on rare occasions rose to such heights again over the course of the season.
Widnes by this stage had turned to former Warrington favourite Paul Cullen and he took over team matters in preparation for the next game at Halifax. That was a game lost and initially Cullen struggled with results, overseeing three defeats from his first four matches and seven in his first twelve games in charge. This included conceding a double to Leigh and a heavy home loss at the hands of Barrow.
It was around this time that the club announced it had commenced night time training instead of during the daytime. For all intents and purposes the club had gone part-time once again. This change resulted in Stankevitch leaving, Mick Cassidy returning in a strength and conditioning role and Stuart Wilkinson moved up from a role overseeing the development of younger players to become Cullen’s assistant.
The Vikings also raided Super League to boost their squad with loan captures, these included Steve Tyrer (Celtic/St Helens), Craig Hall (Hull), Jon Grayshon (Harlequins), Kevin Penny and Steve Pickersgill (both Warrington) with varying success.
From June the Vikings didn’t look back with the corner being turned in the last twenty minutes against Championship One York in a Northern Rail Cup Quarter Final. Big wins followed in the league over Featherstone and Doncaster at the Stobart Stadium while thanks to an Anthony Thackeray hat-trick and in no small part to a touch of butter fingers from Ben Black, Widnes won at Halifax 27-22 to go into the Northern Rail Cup Final.
Their opponents in the final, Barrow, had not reached a final of a cup competition since beating Widnes in an early eighties Lancashire Cup and were overawed on the day. They reverted to some rough-house tactics that the Vikings soaked up before expansive rugby brought the Northern Rail Cup back to Widnes for the first time since 2007 and ensuring the Vikings can make another application for Super League when the Licenses become available again.
Penny led the way with two tries while others came from Richard Fletcher, man-of-the-match John Duffy, making his fourth Northern Rail Cup Final appearance, Toa Kohe-Love and Richard Varkulis. Hall kicked five goals.
With Penny, Pickersgill and Hall back in Super League another dip in the Vikings form saw them fall to fifth before a flourish against Whitehaven brought a resounding 58-10 win and fourth place after everyone had completed league fixtures.
Three weeks later it was play-off time and Whitehaven were again opposition. This time there was lots of Cumbrian grit and Widnes had to use all their know-how to win 26-21 in an excellent advert for the Championship.
Their reward was a home game against Featherstone who also had a decent end to the season. Rovers had knocked Sheffield out of the play-offs and with veteran Iestyn Harris in five star form from loose forward, they repeated the tonic at the Stobart Stadium.
In another ding-dong tie, Widnes had grabbed an early lead only for Featherstone to chase it down and edge in front at half-time. The teams traded a further two tries each with Rovers clinging to a 24-26 lead when an all or nothing play from the Vikings was spilled on the twenty metre line. From the resulting scrum and possession it was that man Harris who touched down to end Widnes’ season: a real rollercoaster from start to finish.
Paddy Flynn finished the year with an extended contract and as top try scorer with twenty while outgoing Tim Hartley was the teams top point scorer with 132 from 5 tries and 56 goals.
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