TIGERS’ FEAT
Cas finish top for the first time in their history
CENTRE Jake Webster bagged four tries, as Castleford became rugby league’s top cats for the first time in the club’s 91-year history.
Needing only a draw to secure the League Leaders’ Shield, Daryl Powell’s side earned its long awaited stripes with a 21st win in 24 games. Such has been the Tigers’ dominance, skipper Michael Shenton lifted the silverware with four games of the Super 8’s to spare. Victory was also worth £100,000 in prize money and a debut in next year’s World Club Challenge series. But the biggest prize still awaits Powell’s squad of entertainers. And they are already guaranteed a home semi-final in their bid to reach Super League’s Grand Final on October 7.
Former Hull KR favourite Webster hadn’t managed a hattrick in 11 years. But he notched all four in 38 minutes in front of a happy home crowd of 11, 235.
However, Wakefield came to spoil the celebration party recovering from 18-6 down to trail 18-16 early in the second period.
Ex-Tiger Liam Finn kicked Trinity into an early lead. And after full-back Zak Hardaker’s 10th-minute try and Luke Gale’s opening conversion, the visitors hit back through Ben Jones-Bishop’s 19th league try to level at 6-6.
England second-rower Mike McMeeken stretched out to put Tigers back in front before Hardaker, a 2015 Treble winner with Leeds, set up Webster for a sensational try eight minutes from the break Gale improved both and Tigers, whose previous major silverware success came in 1994, led 18-6.
Mason Caton-Brown dived over to reduce Wakey’s deficit to 18-10 at the interval. And Tigers’ lead was down to two when Danny Kirmond crashed over and Finn goaled after two previous misses.
But Cas hit Trinity with two tries in 60 seconds to allow the Shield engraver to start work.
Try-machine Greg Eden returned from his three-game injury absence to claim his 38th of the season from Gale’s brilliant long pass. Webster took over with a treble inside 15 minutes while Hardaker grabbed a second score five minutes from time.