Vikings recent run of wins came to an end as York Knights ran out 40-30 winners at the DCBL Stadium on Sunday denting our Play Off hopes.
TEAM NEWS
Ant Walker missed out after sustaining an ankle injury but was replaced by Owen Farnworth who was returning from concussion protocols.
STORY OF THE GAME
Vikings started the game ok but were putting the ball down too often and it was the visitors who got the first try of the game, albeit slightly against the run of play. The conversion from out wide making the score 0-6.
Vikings responded with a try of their own through Sam Wilde after good work moving the ball to the left edge. Dixon converted.
Widnes then took the lead as Ollie Brookes went in at the corner after good passing moved the ball all along the line from left to right. Dixon again converted from out wide.
Vikings then took the opportunity to stretch the lead from a penalty against York taking the score to 14-6.
In what was evidence of what was to come, York then hit back with another converted try.
Not to be outdone, Vikings scored again under the posts with an old-fashioned barge over from Owen Farnworth and Kieran Dixon got his third conversion to take the score to 20-12 in Vikings favour at the half time hooter.
The second half, however, was a completely different affair as the visitors, obviously after a half time wake up call, came out all guns blazing and Vikings struggled to hold them. In a 15-minute period York scored 3 tries, converting two of them and in the blink of an eye, the scoreline was 20-34 and Widnes were chasing the game.
Vikings were struggling to hold the Knights and at the same time continued to put down too much ball, too often, making it an uphill struggle.
York, then scored again and converted to make it 20-40 and the Vikings could do nothing about it.
Heads didn’t drop though, and in what at times was like a basketball match, were the next to score as Joe Edge came on strongly to a lovely timed pass from Tom Gilmore and burst through the line and went over out wide. This time Dixon missed with the kick, so the score remained at 24-40.
Vikings had the last word as, just before the hooter, Kieran Dixon received the ball on the left wing and then promptly went on a mazy run, went all across the York defenders until he got to the posts, then did a left turn to the posts, got tackled just short of the try line but managed to put the ball down for a try and then kicked the conversion as the hooter went.
A disappointing day for the Vikings ended in a 30-40 loss.
NEXT GAME
Halifax Panthers (a) Sunday 27th August kick off 3pm.
TEAMS AND SCORERS
WIDNES : Edge, Dixon, Fleming, Roberts, Brookes, Lyons, Gilmore, Field, Fozard, Lawton, Wilde, Grady, Brown
INTERCHANGES: Forber, Farnworth, Davies, Hatton
TRIES ; Wilde, Brookes, Farnworth, Edge, Dixon,
GOALS ; Dixon 5
YORK; Brown, Bass, Dee, Clarkson, Towse, Hingano, Harris, Santi, Jubb, Fitzsimmons, Field, Kirmond, Thompson.
INTERCHANGES ; Pemberton, Michael, Warren, Pratt
TRIES; Brown, Pemberton, Pratt 2, Field 2, Fitzsimmons,
GOALS ; Harris 6
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