KEIGHLEY Cougars bared their teeth and ripped York Wasps to shreds in a first half performance packed with power, points and perfect precision.

They showed off all their championship credentials in stunning style against a York side which could not live up to the standard they had set themselves in their opening two games.

The visitors scored at a rate of a point a minute to leave York shell-shocked at 30-0 after half an hour.

It did improve for York after the break, and they showed enough spirit to get three tries on the board, but they were always second best.

The Wasps could find no answer to the individual brilliance of Keighley stand-off Martin Wood whose attacking flair was as faultless as his goal-kicking.

Six goals from six attempts, including three from the touchline and another from wide out, added insult to injury.

And injury there certainly was on the Wasps side. With Craig Moore, Spencer Hargrave and Andy Precious already ruled out, they also had to make do without full-back Jamie Benn who was suffering from tendonitis in his knee.

Scrum-half Gareth Stephens was again absent, despite hopes that he would make his first appearance of the season after a hamstring problem.

Darren Hughes recovered sufficiently from a dead leg to make the starting line-up but he was only able to complete 20 minutes.

Against a team of Keighley's ability, such important missing links were always likely to be exploited. However, in Michael Smith, Gareth Hughes and youngster Craig Allen, deputising for Benn at full-back, the Wasps had some willing runners who ensured they salvaged some pride from the wreckage.

Smith was outstanding and fully deserved his two tries from close range in the second half. There was a hard-earned try too from captain Alan Pallister who again couldn't be faulted for his work-rate and commitment.

That was York's best try of the game and came five minutes into the second half.

It came from the rare source of a Mick Hagan bomb which was brilliantly taken by Allen and he supplied Pallister who wrong-footed Cougars winger Craig Horne to score under the posts.

It signalled York's best spell of the game but by then the damage had already been done.

The rout started after just four minutes with the most spectacular try of the game. Paddy Handley's grubber kick was picked up by winger Jason Lee almost on his own line and he galloped the full length of the field down the left side to score in the corner.

Wood's marvellous touchline conversion gave the Cougars just the start they wanted, and it soon got even better.

Lee it was again who out-jumped Wasps winger Paul Butterfield to get on the end of Wood's lofted cross-field kick to touch down in the same corner. Wood had the magic touch and again found the target to leave the Wasps reeling.

York didn't help their own cause by dropping the ball on the few occasions they managed to go on the attack. It was an error by Leroy McKenzie which led to Keighley's third try when he lost the ball in his own 20 metre area.

On the third tackle from the scrum, Wood dived over from acting half and converted his own try, this time from the right side.

Two further tries went Keighley's way before half-time, and they summed up the difference in the two sides' luck.

Hooker Jason Ramshaw was the first to the ball after charging down Handley's kick and, although he was caught by Handley, had Danny Seal in support. Allen brought Seal down 10 metres from the line with a brilliant ankle tap but the back-tracking defence was stretched and from the next play the ball was moved quickly out to the right where Horne strolled over.

When Ramshaw attempted a kick through for Keighley, it rebounded back into his hands off Pallister and, with the defence caught out, full-back James Rushworth was in support to race away.

Wood's two conversions brought up the 30 point mark before York began to find their feet.

Lloyd had a good chance to score just before the interval after a good break down the left but he was stopped just short by an excellent cover tackle frm scrum-half Nathan Antonik.

York upped their efforts in the second half but Keighley also managed another three tries from Paul Harrison, Seal and Matt Walker to maintain their superiority.

Northern Ford Premiership

Sunday, December 17, 2000

York Wasps 14, Keighley Cougars 48

YORK WASPS: Chris Allen 8, Paul Butterfield 6, Shaun Austerfield 7, Gareth Lloyd 8, Leroy McKenzie 6, Paddy Handley 7, Gareth Dobson 6, Michael Smith 8, Alan Pallister 7, Craig Forsyth 7, Andy Hill 6, Darren Hughes -, Mick Ramsden 7.

Subs: Mat Mulholland (for Austerfield 26) 6, Tim Rumford (Mulholland 58) 6, Adam Briggs (Pallister 66) -, Mick Hagan (Hughes 20) 7.

Re-subs: Austerfield (Hill 35)

Blood-bin: Hagan for Hughes (8min, returned 15)

Sin-binned: None

Sent off: None

Penalties: Five

Scrums won: Six

Tries: Pallister (45min), Smith (54, 67).

Goal: Austerfield 1

KEIGHLEY COUGARS: James Rushforth, Craig Horne, Karl Smith, Graeme Hallam, Jason Lee, Martin Wood, Nathan Antonik, Michael Slicker, Jason Ramshaw, Matt Walker, Paul Harrison, Jim Leatham, Danny Seal.

Subs: Gary Lord (Walker 23), Darren Carter (Hallas) 60, Phil Stephenson (Slicker 32), Craig Brown (Lord 57). Re-subs: Slicker (Wood 63), Walker (Stephenson 71)

Sin-binned: None

Sent off: None

Penalties: Four

Scrums won: Eight

Tries: Lee (4, 13), Wood (17), Horne (22), Rushworth (29), Harrison (59), Seal (74), Walker (80). Goals: Wood 6, Lee 2

Attendance: 943

Referee: Paul Lee (Leigh)

Half-time: 0-30

Evening Press/Guildford Construction man of the match: Michael Smith: Had a real stormer. Led the line well, never stopped running and bagged two tries. Closley followed by Gareth Lloyd and Chris Allen