09 May 2021

FEATHERSTONE ROVERS continued their winning start to the season with a dramatic Craig Hall try ensuring victory. With the scores level York looked to be heading for victory in the closing minutes as they worked the ball into position for a drop goal but it was charged down and the ball fell kindly for Hall who was quick enough to pick up and run three quarters of the field to score and maintain Rovers unbeaten league record.

York struck first after six minutes, as Riley Dean skipped through a gap in the visiting defence before finding Marsh offering support on his inside to finish. The first moment of individual brilliance from Gale soon brought Featherstone level. The winger received the ball on the right touchline and snuck past Jason Bass before fending off Dean and finally stepping to fool full-back Kieran Dixon and get into the corner. Rovers were now starting to get on the front foot but their momentum was halted when John Davies was ordered to the sin bin for a cannonball tackle. Just a couple of plays later, the gap left behind in their defence was exploited as Salter crashed over from Marsh’s short pass. Kieran Dixon converted both first-half efforts to put York 12-4 in front and, although Fa’amanu Brown’s simple penalty in front of the posts after the hooter reduced the gap to six, Featherstone should have ended the half in a stronger position. However, Danny Kirmond had produced a quite magnificent tackle to keep them out a few minutes earlier, covering back to challenge Hall after the Rovers winger had slipped through the line and beaten Kieran Dixon. Hall might still have been able to reach the line but was panicked into an offload, which Luke Cooper couldn’t collect.

Featherstone continued to knock on the door following the restart, but they were met by further resistance as Josh Hardcastle, Junior Moors and Davies were all held up, while their own defence proved equally able to resist Chris Green and Dean before more Gale magic. Great footwork by Dane Chisholm started it but, after an excellent Moors offload to Hardcastle, Gale took the limelight, beating Will Jubb before slipping past both Kieran Dixon and Dean to somehow to squeeze in. Brown couldn’t convert from the touchline but they only had to wait another few minutes before drawing level at 12-12 with a penalty in front of the posts after Craig Kopczak was halted inches from the line. That set up a contest for a one-pointer, with Dean putting the first effort narrowly wide for York. Gale then coughed up possession to give them another chance but this time Dean’s kick was charged down by Chisholm, falling into the hands of Hall to speed clear all the way to the try line and win it for Featherstone.