Super League: Seven-try Widnes resist Tigers comeback
Last Updated: 10/06/16 6:10am
Widnes repelled a late fightback from Castleford to run out 38-28 winners at the Mend-a-Hose Jungle on Thursday night.
The Vikings led 38-12 with ten minutes remaining before a late comeback threatened to wrestle the game away from the visitors. Tigers' Larne Patrick launched the fightback with a try before Luke Gale scored off a Denny Solomona break from the restart.
Paddy Flynn, on loan at the Tigers from Widnes, then scored his third try of the night to set up a thrilling end to the match with five minutes remaining. However the home side could not quite finish off the fairy-tale as they failed to register any more points.
The Tigers will be left to rue their poor handling in the first half, which allowed their visitors to a 14-6 lead, before more mistakes allowed the Vikings to pile on further pressure for an ultimately insurmountable lead.
Denis Betts' side now find themselves in seventh place, level on points with Wakefield, while Castleford sit one place above them.
Widnes started the game in strong fashion, and were first on the scoreboard when a Junior Moors mistake saw Macgraff Leuluai dot down in the eighth minute. Gale slotted the conversion but missed when Patrick Ah Van crossed at the end of the first quarter, leaving the visitors 10-0 up.
Solomona did well to release a fingertip pass to Flynn on the left and Flynn raced to the corner to register Castleford's first points of the night, but Widnes hit back before the break through Chris Bridge for a 14-6 lead at half-time.
Widnes came out the more enterprising of the two teams, but it was Castleford who notched up the first points of the half. Adam Milner put in some dazzling work in the midfield, dummied before breaking and throwing a brilliant pass to Flynn who cut inside the cover defence for his second of the night. Gale converted from out wide to bring his side to within two points.
Ah Van then crossed for his second of the night, putting some daylight between the sides and spark a flurry of tries from the visitors. The next break came from Vikings' Lloyd White who had Matt Whitley with him in support. White drew the last defender to release Whitley but he was brought down inches short of the line. White then dummied the defence before diving over from dummy half.
The hooker added another in the 65th minute, and Mellor scored an incredible try from the restart when the Castleford players left the ball alone after incorrectly thinking it hadn't travelled 10 metres from the kick-off. Mellor picked up the bouncing ball and cantered over to score his side's final try of the night.
At 38-12 ahead well into the fourth quarter, Widnes looked to have the game dead and buried, but they were forced to scramble in defence as the Tigers clawed their way back into the game before the home side ran out of time.
