Doncaster 33 Cougars 10 - A SCENE which was a bad as anything the amateur leagues can dish up effectively ended any hopes of the Cougars gaining revenge for their defeat 10 days previously.

Phil Stephenson was taken out in a cynical attack which ultimately starved the Keighley side of his drive and determination.

The incident started innocuously enough, Stepho went to ground in the 24th minute. It had been a normal run and a normal tackle - until he tried to get up.

At that point the Dragons skipper, Maea David unleashed three professional standard jabs on the prone forward.

No one intervened, his team mates kept their cool and the referee completely ignored the incident. Stephenson justifiably felt aggrieved and as he got to his feet went back at David, only to be attacked by two or three more Dragons' players.

The incident resulted in both Stephenson and David being sin-binned, but ultimately the Cougars lost their best forward to the medical room.

He came off looking like he had gone five rounds with Mike Tyson.

The effect wasn't immediate. Where it really hurt the Cougars was as the game progressed. For the first time in months they looked jaded and the Dragons took full advantage running in two converted tries in the last five minutes to distort the score in what had been a tough but competitive game.

It was another game of what might have been as the Cougar fans still smarted over the 'robbery' two weeks ago when they were beaten by a try that even the referee's assessor, Ian McGregor, admits should not have been allowed.

In this game David should have been shown the red card for a dangerous, unprovoked, attack to the head, that in any other walk of life would have seen him before the courts charged with assault.

As it was the Cougars had to take another defeat on the chin, and lean that if they continue to make unforced errors at the rate they did, they will never fulfil their youthful potential.

When the 'Stepho incident; occurred the game was finely balanced at 10-8 to the Cougars.

Max Tomlinson again opened the scoring against his former club, going over in the corner after a long high Ashton pass. Doncaster replied with quick tries from Gareth Handford and Chris Ross before Keighley regained the lead.

Stephenson had paved the way for the first try and set up the platform for another Ashton pass that put Dave Foster through with ease. Ashton added the conversion to make it 10-8.

They surrendered the lead on the half hour mark, Paul Mansson dummying 30 metres out then racing clear. He injured himself in scoring, but the loss of Stephenson had a bigger impact on the outcome.

Johnny Woodcock added his first conversion to make it 14-10 at the break.

Second half indiscipline and errors ruined any chance of a Cougar victory. They only completed half their sets of tackles and Oliver Wilkes ended up in the sin bin for dissent, which also cost them two points.

Cougars couldn't get anything going on attack and began to look vulnerable up the middle.

Ross added a drop goal and Woodcock another penalty before the outcome was decided in the 59th minute. Dean Colton stepped through a posse of tired defenders to make it 21-10.

Ashton worked hard and nearly conjured up a second try for Tomlinson with a blistering chip and chase, but that was really the only scoring chance.

Doncaster gradually chipped away two tries at the end from Craig Horne and Peter Green, both converted by Woodock completed the scoring. The fact that the penultimate try was scored by Horne just days after his transfer from Keighley, really rubbed salt into the gaping wounds.