Johnson slides over to save Lancashire

Lancashire 22 Yorkshire 18

Two quick tries midway through the second half enabled Lancashire to hang on for victory in a keenly fought first match of the Origin Series.

A side which always looked more powerful on paper just about deserved their win, but they will take nothing for granted in the return at Headingley on Tuesday after Yorkshire's gritty effort.

There was a 15-minute delay to allow fans held up by torrential rain to get to the JJB Stadium. When the game did start, Lancashire, much as feared, immediately looked too strong, Paul Sculthorpe, Andy Farrell and Chris Joynt linking up for Kris Radlinski to score inside the first two minutes.

The other prediction was that the game might cut up rough in the early stages and it did so when Nick Fozzard and Barrie McDermott started a scrap at a scrum, both going to the sin bin and Farrell kicking the penalty.

Yorkshire equalised when Keith Senior held off a couple of tackles to send Leon Pryce over and Danny Orr added the goal. Parity was short-lived, Radlinski giving Paul Wellens a chance to touch-down soon after.

Two penalties from Orr brought the scores level and Yorkshire would have led if Lee Harland had not lost the ball as he went to plant it over the line. Before half-time, Lancashire had just as good a chance from a break by the impressive Martin Gleeson, Radlinski uncharacteristically knocking on with the line open.

Lancashire were conceding too many penalties and from one of them, seven minutes into the second half, Orr finally gave Yorkshire the lead.

The favourites were under pressure but Paul Johnson slid over on the wet turf from Radlinski's pass to put them back in front on the hour.

Three minutes later, Wellens juggled McDermot's pass before going over for his second try. Yorkshire were not finished, Rob Burrow sparking them with his arrival from the bench and adding the goal to Lee Gilmour's try to make it a tense finale.

Lancashire: Radlinski (Wigan), Stewart, Gleeson, Wellens (all St Helens), Johnson (Wigan), Sculthorpe (St Helens), Sinfield (Leeds), O'Connor, Newton, McDermott (all Wigan), Joynt, Stankevitch (both St Helens), Andy Farrell (Wigan). Substitutes: Deacon (Bradford), Donlan (Halifax), Hilton (Warrington), Mills (Widnes).

Yorkshire: Pryce (Bradford), Pratt (Leeds), Hodgson (Wigan), Senior, Calderwood (both Leeds), Orr (Castleford), Sheridan (Leeds), Fozzard (Warrington), Diskin (Leeds), Anthony Farrell (Widnes), Hay (Leeds), Peacock, Gilmour (both Bradford). Substitutes: Harland (Castleford), Burrow (Leeds), Sykes (Castleford), King (Hull).

Referee: R Smith (Castleford).