Test was too Challenging

DEWSBURY RAMS 36 NEWCASTLE THUNDER 8

NEWCASTLE Thunder’s ambitions in the 2017 Ladbrokes Challenge Cup came to an end on Friday night as they fell to a 36-8 loss at Kingstone Press Championship side Dewsbury Rams.

The visitors were left to rue a litany of first half mistakes and missed opportunities as the hosts played the conditions well and gave Newcastle a mountain to climb in the second, one that they were ultimately unable to scale.

It could have been so very different had Thunder pressed home their early dominance, which for much of the first ten minutes of the game, saw Mick Mantelli’s side camped squarely within 20 meters of the Rams try line.

Making a mockery of the driving wind and rain, the Thundermen were able to string together some excellent flowing moves with some exceptional handling skills being displayed. And with the hosts failing to maintain discipline, it seemed inevitable that the opening score would go the way of thev visitors.

Somehow, though, Dewsbury’s line remained intact and after kicking early following a positive run from deep, it was the hosts who crossed for the night’s first score.

Taking their lead past two scores with a penalty on the 20 minute mark, the Rams had their tails up and as the half drew to a close, had established a 26-0 lead thanks to converted tries from Brandon Douglas and Dale Morton before Thunder finally struck.

It was a well-worked try too,, with Thunder again matching their hosts’ handling ability to put Danny Nicklas into a position where a well-weighted kick bobbled enough to allow Tyler Craig to win the race to the line.

The second half started much more like the first, with Thunder making the most of having the wind to their backs and effectively containing Dewsbury behind the half-way line. Crucially however, they were unable to find the telling pass that would unlock the hosts defence.

A typically bullish run into a tackle from Olpherts allowed faint hopes of a heroic cup fightback to rise on 57 minutes, as he sent three Rams tacklers skittling to the floor before tearing a full 60m to score a superb try, but despite having time, Thunder were unable to find the scores.

Thunder will now turn their attentions to the trip to South Wales Ironmen next Sunday and look to maintain their Kingstone Press League 1 winning streak and pace as one of the current top-five sides.