Keighley Albion Cats 12

Cottingham Tigers 14

Cats were given a lesson in how to play at this high level of intensity by the experienced Humberside team - but Albion almost pulled off a surprise victory.

On a gluepot of a pitch the bigger Tigers pack was always going to dominate the smaller but skilful Cats.

The visitors had the early possession but could make no headway against the ferocious defence of Angie Pickard, Laura Ackroyd and Sarah Cartwright. When the Cats gained the ball they marched up the field and were pressuring the Tigers line.

On the last tackle Tracey Lynch chipped the ball over, Laura Ackroyd sprinted through to hack it on and Saima Hussain added the final kick to follow up and dive on the ball. Laura Ackroyd added the conversion and the Keighley side looked to be strolling away with the game. This pressure was confirmed when an Ackroyd kick was seized by the Hull full-back only for Leanne Ludlum to force her straight over the try line.

This proved to be the catalyst that sparked the visitors. They started to apply some pressure themselves with better ball retention and strong support play. The pay off occurred on the 23rd minute when a converted try levelled the scores at 6-6. Further poor handling from both sides ensured no more scores before half-time.

The second half was a copy of the first, ball retention was very poor and little progress was made by either team. However the better use of the ball went to the visitors and they forced two unconverted tries on the 49th and 69th minutes.

Albion's hopes were raised when a long pass by Keira Burns found Sarah Cartwright on the wing and the speedy full-back rounded the cover to score under the posts. With Laura Ackroyd converting the Keighley side were back in it with five minutes to go.

Again though the Tigers defence held firm and the visitors gained the hard-fought win. Credit should go to all of the Cats for their defence in very poor conditions against a large pack. However their attacking skills will have to be refined if they are to keep the standard required at this level.