Hull FC Reserves suffered their first defeat of 2024 as they were edged out 26-24 by Castleford Tigers Reserves.
The Black & Whites looked good value at the break thanks to tries from Callum Shaw, Denive Balmforth and Harvey Barron.
But a brace of tries from Samy Kibula kept the Tigers interested, and they rallied strongly in the second-half to take the victory by a slender margin.
The Match
Hull made the perfect start as the hosts’ spine linked up to glorious effect. Mackenzie Harman, Sully Medforth and Logan Moy combined, and Shaw acrobatically finished off the move in the right corner.
But some sloppy penalties invited the Tigers back into the contest, and they hit the front when Alfie Dean converted Kibula’s powerful drive over the line.
Hull wrestled back control of the match and they re-took the lead with fifteen minutes until half-time. A deceptive, yet powerfully and thrifty move out of dummy-half from Balmforth saw the hooker elude the Castleford defence to score.
Before the visitors had touched the ball again, Hull struck once more with a killer move down the left flank. A big show-and-go from Ryan Westerman saw the young centre pierce through the Tigers’ defensive line, and he had Barron in support on the inside as the winger sprinted over the whitewash.
Despite a dominant spell, Hull were by no means home and host and the tenacity of the Tigers came to the fore as they enjoyed some strong periods inside the Black & Whites’ half.
Although they were repelled on two separate occasions, when Kibula came crashing onto another short pass close to the line, Castleford were all of a sudden back to within two points, such was FC’s inaccuracy from the kicking tee.
HALF-TIME: Hull Reserves 14-12 Tigers Reserves
The start to the second-half was almost a carbon copy of the start to the first-half, with a strong start being rewarded with a fourth Hull FC try. Moy peeled out of the back and picked the perfect pass, allowing Ryan Johnson to squeeze between his opposite centre and winger to score.
After another missed conversion, Hull’s lead remained at just six-points. And so there was a level ball game when Jaiden Tang’s jinking run over the try-line was converted by Dean.
As the game grew older, Castleford’s purple patch extended, and they thought they had hit the front when Jenson Windley set his sights on the whitewash, but he was heroically denied by a combination of Barron and Lennon Bursell.
But that effort came at a cost. In the tackle, the Hull FC pair had clashed heads and they were both knocked unconscious, forcing them off the field for the remainder of the game.
Undeterred by any self-doubt, the Tigers continued plugging away and they found their fourth try of the evening when Tang’s offload allowed Liam Carr to score.
Hull weren’t able to find the crucial cutting edge required in the closing stages, and their frustration showed when a melee broke out between the two sides when Callum Barfield was bundled into touch when looking to score in the left corner. Westerman was sent to the sin-bin for FC, and Castleford’s Sam Darley followed for his part in the handbags.
Harman joined his centre in the sin-bin for a professional foul in the closing stages. From the penalty, Dean’s decision to strike for goal with 90 seconds remaining proved to be a very important call.
Because from the short kick-off restart, Hull reclaimed possession and later in the tackle count, Leon Stewart sprawled his way over the try-line. But as Medforth stroked the conversion between the uprights, the referee’s whistle sounded and Hull’s time was up.
FULL-TIME: Hull Reserves 24-26 Tigers Reserves
Squads & Scorers
Hull: Moy, Shaw, Johnson, Westerman, Barron, Harman, Medforth, Diakhate, Balmforth, Mafi, Bursell, Stewart, Jebson
Hull Interchanges: Barfield, Hodgson, Kirby, Thompson
Hull Tries: Shaw, Balmforth, Barron, Johnson, Stewart
Hull Goals: Harman (0/1), Medforth (2/4)
Tigers: Groves, Sarbah, Wall, Dean, Hall, Tang, Windley, Hindmarsh, Hill, Namo, Carr, Carter, Kibula
Tigers Interchanges: Darley, Hawkhead, Matvejev, Walker
Tigers Tries: Kibula (2), Tang, Carr
Tigers Goals: Dean (5/5)
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