Round 11
Castleford Tigers 12 l. Hull FC 32

2008 engage English Super League Index [Table] [Draw] [Player Stats] [Club Headlines]

Location: United Kingdom > National > First Grade Competition: engage English Super League

Hull FC return to winners circle
Sat April 12, 2008
Source: www.superleague.co.uk

Hull FC eased the pressure on coach Peter Sharp with a workmanlike display that left Castleford Tigers rooted to the foot of engage Super League.

Sharp went into the game feeling the heat after just two wins in the opening 10 games but three tries in the latter stages of the first half made the difference at The Jungle.

Craig Hall made the key early break before Scott Wheeldon and Motu Tony followed him over to give the visitors a decisive advantage in the basement battle.

Jamie Thackray and Hall then added further scores to ensure injury-ravaged Hull, tipped for the top six at the start of the season, avoided the ignominy of slipping to the bottom.

The Tigers went into the game on the back of last week's stunning 30-24 win over St Helens and still basking in the limelight generated by the arrival of Great Britain sprinter Dwain Chambers on trial.

Yet both sides seemed to lack confidence early on and Cas, despite the majority of the possession in the opening quarter, were unable to make much headway.

Richard Owen did touch down after a high Brent Sherwin kick to the corner but Kirk Dixon knocked on before the winger dived on the ball.

The first points of the game came from a Craig Huby penalty for the hosts but it took a Cas mistake after 23 minutes to provide the game with the spark it needed and Hull the luck they craved.

Ryan Clayton found a gap in the Hull defence but Huby lost possession under pressure from Shaun Berrigan 10 metres from the line.

The ball rolled away and was scooped up by Hall, who showed pace Chambers, watching from the stands early on, might have been proud of to race to the other end and score.

Danny Tickle, with the first of six goals, added the extras and Hull began to rest a little more easily.

They added a second try before the break when Wheeldon crashed over from close range off a Danny Houghton pass.

Tony then barged his way through two tackles to add a third try on the stroke of half-time following good work by Todd Byrne.

Tickle converted both to give the visitors an 18-2 advantage at the break and added a penalty early in the second half.

Castleford showed some spirit to pull a try back through debutant Matt Cook but it proved only a brief rally.

Cook, who joined the club earlier this week on loan from Bradford Bulls , took a short pass from Sherwin to crash over.

It was the centre's second try against Hull in a week, having crossed in the Bulls' defeat of the Airlie Birds last Friday.

Temporarily enlivened, Cas then went close to a second try when Andrew Henderson raced on to a Cook kick but Gareth Raynor just beat him to the ball in-goal.

Hull responded to the threat to make the game safe through former Tiger Thackray. Key playmaker Berrigan did the damage with a smart kick and Thackray slid in to make just enough contact for his first try since rejoining Hull last month.

Peter Lupton, against his former club, claimed a second Tigers try but a great handling move finished with Raynor setting up Hall for his second. Tickle maintained his 100% record to complete the scoring.

Report source: www.superleague.co.uk

Article: Sharp: Step in the right direction

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