Mike Eagar was so spoilt for choice with men in support that he passed to none

Mike Eagar was so spoilt for choice with men in support that he passed to none of them, then both he and Mike Pechey knocked on with the line looming invitingly. Substitutes used: Wood, S Williams, Patterson, Jowitt.Featherstone: Collins; Hall, Irwin, Daker, Pratt; Coventry, Sallins; Jackson, Chapman, Dickins, Price, Lowe, Slater. Substitutes used: Handley, Amone, Clarkson, Dooler.Referee: I McGregor (Huddersfield).. Bradford 36 Warrington 8

BRADFORD TOOK the bold step of dropping their undoubted star, Robbie Paul, and then took a big stride towards the Super League play- offs.
Paul, to be joined at Odsal by brother Henry from Wigan next season, was left out of the starting line-up for the first time this season, apart from when he was on international duty with New Zealand.”He would admit himself that he hasn’t been playing on top form,” Bradford’s assistant coach, Brian Noble, said.”But he showed when he came on that he had plenty of enthusiasm and that is going to be our long term project.”By the time Paul came on for the last half hour, the Bulls already had this game won. The result, plus the improvement to their points difference, means that they will only need to win one of their remaining two matches to qualify for the top five, even if they still have a long way to go to reach the level of form that they would like.Little more than midway through the first half, Warrington trailed 18- 0 yet such was the peculiar nature of this match that they could equally well have been ahead. They would have felt thoroughly aggrieved if they had let it slip at that late stage, but Hall’s try ended that possibility and kept a season that seemed to be over a couple of months ago still very much alive.Dewsbury: Bramald; Flynn, B Williams, Elland, Bailey; Agar, Eaton; Long, O’Donnell, Boothroyd, Spink, Ball, Delaney.

Eaton brought Dewsbury a little closer with a penalty given for offside after the ball had run loose from a tackle, but they could make no further progress.Indeed, Featherstone had a couple of chances to clinch the result and had a touchdown from Steve Collins disallowed for a double movement. It was assuming the proportions of a left-wing conspiracy, because it was again down that flank that he made inroads before slipping his pass to Rovers’ substitute, Paddy Handley.Pratt almost had a hat-trick from Fallins’s high kick and Fallins himself twice missed with drop-goal attempts from in front of the sticks as Featherstone tried to kill off stubborn opponents. It was Richard Slater’s fine pass this time that released Pratt, although he had to get around Bramald to reach the try line. The way in which he achieved that, with a body swerve and a change of pace, again underlined why he is such a sought- after young player.Another of Featherstone’s promising young prospects Neil Lowe, did the groundwork for their third try early in the second-half.

He surged down the wing and found the supporting Karl Pratt with an inside pass, Ty Fallins this time contributing the conversion.Eaton put Dewsbury back in front with a penalty after Jamie Coventry had held down Damien Ball but before half-time Featherstone again found their way outside the home defence. Danny Baker missed his tackle on Brendan Williams and the Dewsbury full-back, Matthew Bramald, was there in support to claim the game’s first try with Barry Eaton adding the goal.Baker went along way towards making up for that error when he made the break that led to the scores being levelled. “I hope it won’t prove costly but it is nonetheless disappointing.”. Dewsbury 10 Featherstone Rovers 20

IF BRADFORD or London need any inspiration to carry them through the latter stages of the Super League season they should look no further than Featherstone Rovers of the First Division.
After scraping into the top five Featherstone are now one game away from the Grand Final, although they had to come through a desperately tense elimination semi-final at Dewsbury yesterday.Rovers did not ensure that they would progress until Carl Hall went over in injury time for their fourth try, but they had always been marginally the more dangerous side, their pace and mobility just giving them the edge over a bigger Dewsbury team.They had a shock, however, when a match delayed by 10 minutes to allow the crowd to get into the ground finally got under way.

THE HEROICS of Cannock striker Ben Sharpe boosted England’s chances of a place in the semi-final. England beat a determined Kenya side 3-1, with Sharpe scoring one goal and setting up another. He was injured diving in at the far post in the first half – one of eight missed chances after penalty corners – but returned within a minute of half-time with his mouth stitched and immediately scored. England stretched the advantage to 2-0 after Russell Garcia won a penalty corner in the second half and converted himself.
Kenya pulled a goal back in the 64th minute through Simon Odera, but England added a third when Sharpe set up Jimmy Wallis.England women’s coach Maggie Souyave watched her team romp to an 8-0 victory over Namibia and then hit out at her side for failing to make the most of their chances.Souyave admitted that some of her senior players had failed to perform. “We all knew how critical it was to convert as many chances as possible to match New Zealand’s impressive 15-1 win against the inexperienced Namibians,” Souyave said. “But I still support Luton Town, so I guess there’s a bit of England in me.”Meanwhile the more definitively English citizens standing on the podium were staring thoughtfully at the cuddly toy orang-utans – versions of the Games mascot, Wira – which they had received along with their bronze medals. “The Australians were a different class, but there were six other teams who were very good.”.