A West Yorkshire derby between Keighley Cougars and the Bradford Bulls drew a big crowd of well over four thousand as the visitors looked to continue their great run which see´s them keeping pace with the top sides in the Championship.
The Bulls travelled to Cougar Park sitting pretty in fourth place in the Championship table but after a disappointing start to their campaign the Cougars were in tenth spot but aware that a win would lift them into the top half of the table.
The Cougars were slight underdogs with the bookies, having been given a six-point start on the handicap coupon, but inside a packed stadium the hope was for a close, competitive and as always, noisy game.
An error strewn opening from the Bulls gifted the Cougars chances early on but their defence managed to hold firm. Dane Chisolm was taken out off the ball on eight, Scott Mikalauskas awarding a penalty which Keighley opted to run and which came to nothing.
On twelve minutes Fenton Rogers was sin-binned for leading into the tackle with the elbow, the Bulls down to twelve men for ten minutes.
Defences were on top as Rogers returned to the fray following his short enforced break. With twenty-four minutes on the clock a bullet pass from Luke Gale found Alix Stephenson in space to race in at the corner. Dane Chisolm pushed his kick across the face of the posts, the home side with a 4-0 lead.
A bad mistake from the Bulls allowed Chisolm to kick forward, the Keighley half back winning the race with George Roby to ground the ball under the posts to double the lead. Chisolm added the conversion to his try and after twenty-eight minutes the Cougars were 10-0 up.
On thirty-two Luke Gale put Joe Gibbons through a gap and in a jinking run he ripped through the Bulls defence to score from forty metres out. Chisolm drifted his kick between the uprights for a 16-0 lead, the Bulls shellshocked.
Returning the kick off, Luke Gale tore apart the Bulls defence and slid over the line for the fourth try of the afternoon, no more than the Cougars deserved. Chisolm added the extras for 22-0, all the points scored in an electric eleven-minute spell.
The Bulls shoulders were down, even more so when the Bulls gave away a penalty on the half time hooter which Chisolm kicked to extend the lead to 24-0 at the interval.
Bradford´s first attack of the second half ended with a Jordan Lilley knock-on with the line beckoning. But the officials saw a knock-on from Keighley in the move and on the next set the Bulls tried to be expansive as they earned a third consecutive set on the Cougars line. Tindall finally crossed for the Bulls after massive pressure from the visitors, but the referee disallowed the try for a push at the play the ball.
It was becoming desperate for the Bulls as they couldn´t find any way through the Keighley defence.
The clincher was a breakaway try for Keighley, Jake Webster breaking downfield before feeding Charlie Graham to cross in the corner on the hour mark, the points now in the bag. Chisolm couldn´t add the extras this time but there was no way back for the Bulls.
Lewis Young had a try turned down by the referee on sixty-eight after he failed to ground the ball after taking a pass from Gale.
The Bulls broke their duck on seventy-six when Liam Tindall took the pass and wounded to score by the uprights. Dec Patton added the conversion for 28-6. Way too little, and way too late.
Robbie Storey scored from the back of the scrum for the sixth of the afternoon from Keighley. Gale slotted his conversion between the uprights for 34-6.
Cougarmania popped the Bulls early season bubble as they set out their stall from early on, took control of the game, and demolished their error strewn opponents. Keighley were on total control from the first whistle to the final hooter and will cause some soul-searching in the Bulls camp over the coming week.
Keighley Cougars: Young, Graham (T), Webster, Storey (T), Stephenson (T), Chisolm (T, 4G), Gale (T, G), Santi, Doyle, Ioane, Keinhorst, Gibbons (T), Walker. Subs: Spence, Adebiyi, Parker, Gaylor. 18th Man: Everett.
Bradford Bulls: Holmes, Roberts, Arundel, Gill, Tindall (T), Lilley, Patton (G), Baldwinson, Flanagan Snr, Rogers (SB on 12), Ruan, Wallace, Butler. Subs: Appo, Scurr, Roby, Johnson. 18th Man: Foster.
Half-Time: 24-0.
Full-Time: 34-6.
Score Progression: (SB), 4-0, 8-0, 10-0, 14-0, 16-0, 20-0, 22-0, 24-0 : HT : 28-0, 28-4, 28-6, 32-6, 34-6 : FT.
Lead Exchanges: Keighley.
Referee: Scott Mikalauskas.
