Romanov leads fight as Embassy stand firm

Embassy 20 Strella Kazan 16

There were those here yesterday questioning whether places with such inhospitable winters should be invited into the Challenge Cup. There were those with doubts about Russian participation as well, although surely less so after this creditable effort.

Strange to say, the team from Tatarstan, where temperatures are currently around 30 below zero, were largely beaten by the conditions in this second-round tie. They struggled to handle the ball competently on a glue-pot in the first half, although when they adjusted in the second they showed that, in less adverse circumstances, they could well have won.

Embassy, the Humberside amateurs with a proud cup tradition of their own, got an obvious lift from playing on the ground of their professional neighbours, but they were shaken in the first five minutes when the Russian loose-forward, Maxim Romanov, powered over for the first of his three tries.

The rest of the half, though, belonged firmly to the locals, who started by taking advantage of a knock-on for Mark Dawson to go over straight from a scrum.

Craig Barker then scored their second although there looked to be a blatant knock-on by Matthew Green in the build-up and a hint of a forward pass in the one scored soon after by Danny Sharkett. Dawson landed two of the goals and Kazan, whose journey via Dubai included sitting up all night in Moscow airport, would have been justified in thinking that everything was stacked against them.

But, after Dawson had kicked Embassy further ahead after the interval, Romanov led something of a revolution in Strella's fortunes.

His great strength saw him plough over for two tries to complete his hat-trick as Kazan cuts the margin to four points.

With Green spending the final minutes of the game in the sin-bin, Embassy were hard pressed to hold on, especially when the Kazan second-rower, Aidar Akmetshin went on a mighty gallop down the dry land of the left wing.

But hold on they did, leaving their player-coach, Dave Holdstock, hoping for a third round draw against his brother Dale's club Leigh.

For Kazan, there was just the prospect of a long trip home, followed by the start of their domestic winter championship, played on three feet of compressed snow, four days later.

"It was very hard for us in the rain and the slippery conditions,'' said their full-back Oleg Sokolov. "We had no rest on our way here, but it was good experience for the next time we come here, I think we can win.''

To further ease the pain, there was another first for the Challenge Cup, with Embassy sending each Kazan player an envelope containing a £10 note for a few pints last night. They had certainly earned it.

Embassy: Ellerby; B Green, Dawson, Barker, C Green; Sharkett, Matsell; Holdstock, Heslop, Smith, Swyer, Blakeley, M Green. Substitutes used: Macklin, Spenceley, Houffe, Hardy.

Strella Kazan: Sokolov; Chamsoutdinov, Iamanaev, Gaynullin, Tumasyam; Yusupov, Gashnikov; Artachine, Kalachkine, Koukarine, Akmetshin, Garifoulline, Romanov. Substitutes used: Mitrofanov, Zaynutdinov, Gabdoullazinov, Safiullin.

Referee: C Walker (Oldham).