Cook stirs Leeds to quick response

Rugby League

DAVE HADFIELD

Leeds 40 Warrington 6

Dean Bell will arrive from Auckland this weekend to coach a Leeds side in one of its more buoyant moods after what was ultimately a convincing victory at Headingley. Bitterly disappointed by their defeat at Castleford on Friday, Leeds took it out on a below-strength Warrington side.

Leeds had to thank one of the players brought in after that loss for putting them in control last night. Paul Cook, just 19 but playing with complete assurance on the left wing, was directly involved in every point they scored in the first half.

His break stretched the Warrington defence and forced a penalty which he kicked himself after five minutes. Then after Warrington had taken the lead through Mark Forster's try and Jonathan Davies' touchline conversion, Cook supplied the final pass for Mike Forshaw to score.

Cook kicked a goal as good as Davies' to put Leeds ahead and then straightened up Jim Fallon's long run to score his own first try. Kevin Iro split the increasingly fragile Warrington defence seven minutes into the second half to set up James Lowes for another Leeds try and Garry Schofield was awarded a penalty try after being held.

It was time then for two more of Leeds' young prospects to show their paces, the 20-year-old replacement hooker, Mick Shaw, demonstrating some alarming pace from dummy half, and Phil Hassan executing a lovely sleight of hand to set up Cook's second try to go with his six goals. Warrington were out on their feet long before Schofield's pass and sent Alan Tait over and Shaw's electrifying speed gave Schofield one on a plate.

Leeds: Tait; Fallon (Cummins h-t), Iro, Hassan, Cook; Kemp (Gibbons, 69), Schofield; Harmon, Lowes (Shaw, 56), Fozzard, Mercer, Mann (Morley, 52), Forshaw.

Warrington: Penny; Lee (Close, 68), Harris (Knott, 71), Davies, Forster; Sculthorpe, Shelford; Jones (King, 24), Bennett, Sumner (Jones, 51), Cullen, McGuire, Wainwright.

Referee: D Campbell (Widnes).