Cougars: York 48, Cougars 28 - YORK KNIGHTS handed out a sharp rugby lesson to the Cougars -- on and off the field.

Despite the blistering heat of shimmering Sunday afternoon at the Huntington Stadium they stepped up the pace to out-gun the Keighley side with a performance of stunning speed.

And in the stand Cougar directors must have envied the National League Two record crowd of 1,835, and the kind of atmosphere that shone through at the height of the Cougarmania Years.

Yes, the Knights looked like a club going places, and many of their ideas were straight out of the Keighley club's own manual of connecting with the community. School teams battled it out for honours at half time amid an infectious carnival atmosphere.

At the final hooter Cougars were left with a string of 'What if's' after dominating the first 25 minutes, and then seeing the game snatched from their grasp in spectacular fashion.

"It is very frustrating to have scored 28 points away from home - and lost," said coach Gary Moorby.

It was also frustrating for the travelling Keighley fans to watch their team throw away a golden opportunity of victory. Sloppy passing, poor handling and a string of silly penalties saw them hand possession to the York side, and they took full advantage despite having to throw three debut players into the fray because of injuries at the club.

Despite going behind to an early penalty Cougars soon took control. Jason Ramshaw set up opening tries for James Rushforth and Adam Mitchell to secure a 10-2 lead.

It could have been more with Ramshaw himself having a golden chance, and Simeon Hoyle crossed the line after superb two-man inter-play with Matt Foster and clearly touched down before referee Steve Presley ruled he had been held on his back. A video referee would have awarded the points, but there are no such luxuries in rugby league's 'third division.'

York's Paul Broadbent was stretchered off with a severe knee injury to add to their problems, but the sight of Broadbent being carried to the treatment room acted as a catalyst for his team..

Scott Rhodes launched the Knights on a rampage in the final 15-minute of the first half with a pass to Mark Cain, the son of former assistant Cougar coach John Cain, who found Alex Godfrey with the pace to go in at the corner. Three minutes later, Rhodes made a great break and Neil Law blasted over. On the stroke of half-time, Godfrey chased a high Cain kick and was tackled before collecting the ball. Danny Brough kicked his second penalty to secure a 14-10 lead at the break.

The second half began as the first had ended with Lee Jackson touching down. Cain worked well with Godfrey who added another while Brough kicked his second of five conversions, and added a penalty.

Neil Law drove through three defenders before Rhodes sent debutant Kevin Spink on a scoring run.

Keighley had conceding 34 points in 24 minutes before Andy Robinson crashed over and Paul Ashton converted.

But then Rhodes sprinted from half way and touched down with a somersault. Later he dropped a pass near the Cougar line and Matt Foster ran the length of the field, Ashton converting, but it was too late for a comeback.

Debutant full back Jonny Woodcock sprinted 80 yards to give the Knights their biggest ever score.

Dave Foster scythed through for Cougars in the dying moments, Ashton converting with the last kick of the match, but the shell-shocked Cougars were dazed by the size of the defeat.