YORKS WASPS 14

Keighley COUGARS 48

Martin Wood turned on the style in a magnificent Keighley Cougars first half performance to take York Wasps to the cleaners at Huntington Stadium.

The classy stand-off scored one try, made two others and kicked six from six conversion attempts as the Cougars maintained their 100 per cent start to the season.

It was clinical stuff from Keighley in the first half, scoring five tries to lead 30-0 at the interval. Although they took their foot off the gas in the second half and let York back in with three tries, their superiority against a side beset by financial and injury problems was never in doubt.

Winger Jason Lee opened the Cougars' account in four minutes with a spectacular length of the field effort after collecting Wasps stand-off Paddy Handley's grubber kick.

Wood sent a towering touchline conversion sailing between the sticks for the first of several superb conversions.

Lee was in again nine minutes later when he out-jumped the Wasps defence to catch Wood's crossfield bomb and score in the corner.

Wasps winger Leroy McKenzie lost the ball in his own 20 metre area to gift Keighley their third try. On the third tackle from the scrum, Wood dived over from acting half and landed another tricky conversion.

The Cougars owed a certain amount to luck for their next two tries. Handley's kick was charged down by Jason Ramshaw who was first to gather the ball and find Danny Seal in support.

Although the loose forward was brought down ten metres short by a last-ditch tackle from Wasps full-back Chris Allen, the ball was moved out too quickly for the back tracking defence and Craig Horne went in at the corner.

After half an hour the lead was increased to 30-0. Ramshaw's kick rebounded off Wasps hooker Alan Pallister back into the arms of Ramshaw which caught out the defence and James Rushworth was on hand to go over for the try.

York hit back in the second half with two tries by impressive prop Michael Smith and one from Pallister but Keighley added further scores through Paul Harrison, Seal and Matt Walker to complete the rout.

York: Allen, Butterfield, Austerfield, Lloyd, McKenzie, Handley, Dobson, Smith, Pallister, Forsyth, Hill, Hughes, Ramsden. Subs (all used): Mulholland, Rumford, Briggs, Hagan. Tries: Pallister, Smith (2). Goal: Austerfield.

Keighley: Rushworth, Horne, Smith, Hallas, Lee, Wood, Antonik, Slicker, Ramshaw, Walker, Harrison, Leatham. Subs: Lord, Carter, Stephenson, Brown. Tries: Lee (2), Wood, Horne, Rushworth, Harrison, Seal, Walker. Goals: Wood 6, Lee 2

Referee: Paul Lee (Leigh)