Trinity's defiance collapses in face of Hughes power

Wakefield 12 Widnes

Adam Hughes was instrumental in knocking his old club out of the Challenge Cup as Widnes avenged their defeat at this same fifth-round stage last year.

The powerful centre scored two tries and kicked three goals as the Vikings won a thoroughly entertaining tie, although they struggled to kill the game as clinically as they should have done.

"Adam's a match winner and he's proved that again today,'' the Widnes coach, Neil Kelly, said. "But we're not the sort of side that can win without a few heart attacks along the way.''

Wakefield had taken an early lead, thanks to indiscipline by Widnes – Ian Knott landing two penalties awarded for dissent – but they frittered that advantage away when Brad Davis had his floating pass intercepted by Hughes.

The ex-Wakefield man must have thought the two were back on the same side as he picked off the ball and went 80 yards to score and convert.

Knott's third penalty brought Trinity level, but although they often looked the better organised side they fell behind once more when Daniel Frame stood in the tackle to give Dion Bird the ball at full pace.

Bird was stopped just short of the try line, but Dean Lawford darted over from the play-the-ball with Hughes again adding the goal.

After Hughes had gone close to intercepting from Davis again, Troy Slattery went even closer for Wakefield, losing the ball in Chris Percival's tackle a foot short of the line.

Wakefield drew level again just before the break, however, courtesy of some neat footwork from their big centre, Gareth Ellis. He was hemmed in when he took the ball on the last tackle, but showed agility as well as strength to side step his way over.

Hughes missed three shots at goal in the second half, but made his most telling contribution after 54 minutes when he charged on to a perfectly timed pass from Lawford, Widnes' other outstanding player to coast past Ellis, score and convert.

Widnes made it hard for themselves when Bird was sent to the sin bin for lying-on in the tackle, when they failed to set up a drop goal and when Hughes lost his goal-kicking accuracy.

But, with two minutes remaining, they made sure of being in the quarter-finals when Steve McCurrie steamed on to Phil Cantillon's pass and went through three tackles to touchdown.

Wakefield: Holland; Halpenny, Ellis, Newlove, Wells; Jeffries, Davis; Korkeidas, March, Hood, Slattery, Knott, Vowles. Substitutes used: Handforth, O'Brien, Elima, Wrench.

Widnes: Spruce; Demetriou, Bird, Hughes, Percival; Lawford, Sheridan; Relf, Millard, O'Neill, Hay, McCurrie, Frame. Substitutes used: Aitcheson, Farrell, Cantillon, Mills.

Referee: R Smith (Castleford).