Working ton 4, Cougars 32 - MARTIN WOOD returned to form and his team mates bounced back alongside him as they shook off last week's shock defeat by Rochdale.

Torrential rain and thick mud at Derwent Park did little to dampen the Cougar spirit as hundreds of travelling fans urged their side to an impressive victory.

Wood played a major part in four of the six Cougar tries and kicked four conversions. His immediate return to form, after looking a long way below par just a few days earlier, must have been both a welcome relief for coach Steve Deakin -- and a cause for concern.

The performance of one player, no matter how important, should not have such a huge impact on the performance of the whole team. But such concerns were quickly cast aside as the stand-off led the Cougars into attack.

Although the scoreline at Workington looked one-sided it did not tell the whole story. For the first 20 minutes the home side punished a string of Cougar errors and dominated possession.

The Keighley defence withstood everything thrown at them despite having to plough through the mud and driving rain.

Both sides normally play an expansive game of fast flowing rugby, but the conditions dictated that this would be a war of attrition rather than a display of breathtaking pace and skill. However, it was no less entertaining as the big men slugged it out in the mud.

Wood was the catalyst that finally broke the deadlock after Cougars had soaked up a huge amount of pressure. His slick pass gave Ian Hughes the extra inch of space he needed to force his way through the defensive line, and the first of Wood's conversions gave a warning of what was to come.

Full back Jamie Rushforth touched down in almost exactly the same spot, just to the left of the posts, minutes later. He came into the line to sprint over after slick handing from the right side.

He was there again before the break to race on to Antonik's carefully weighted kick through and Wood's second successful conversion made it 16-0 at the break.

Both teams changed their mud-soaked shirts at half time, but the conditions deteriorated even further. Rain was lashing into the faces of the Keighley side but they were determined to continue as they left off.

Danny Seal forced his way through after Workington had failed to collect a Wood grubber kick. The defence fumbed the ball which handed possession back to the Cougars. As the onslaught continued Paul Harrison was denied a try after racing onto another superb kick through the Working defensive line.

Wood's kicking game played a major part in their victory and Graeme Hallas helped himself to a memorable touch-down after he caught a kick to the left on the full while racing through at full speed. He found just enough grip to side-step the defence and score next to the post.

Workington's consolation effort was an impressive try from Graham Lewthwaite who sold Rushforth the most outrageous dummy. He threatened to cut inside before stepping back outside and racing past with ease.

Those four points seemed to hurt the Cougar pack almost as much as a defeat, after they had looked like preventing the home side from scoring.

Jason Lee added a touch of icing to the Cougar cake when he defied the conditions to race down the wing and completed his 40-metre break with a spectacular dive over the try line. The angle was too much for Hallas who had taking over the kicking duties.

Victory kept Cougars in touch with Leigh and Dewsbury at the top of the table.

Workington Town: K Smith; Sini, Frazer, Allen, Luthwaite; Hetherington, Manihera, Okensene (Horton 62), Sice (Rumney 31), Savelio (Blackburn 50), Beamonet, Sturn, Samuel. Sub: McGrady (not used).

Cougars: Rushforth; Horne (Leatham 43), K Smith (Carter 21), Hallas, Lee; Wood, Antonik, Slicker, (Walker 51), Ramshaw, Boothroyd (Stephenson 50), Harrison, Hughes, Seal.