Yeaman finishes off feeble Wigan

Hull 20 Wigan 4

Hull went to the top of Super League, taking advantage of Wigan's current disarray with a comprehensive, if unspectacular victory at the Kingston Communications Stadium last night.

Wigan, with so many senior players either departed or injured, lacked either the flair or the physical presence to threaten the home side, and a trying transitional season seems to loom for them.

Gareth Hock's ball-stealing offence gave Steve Prescott a penalty for the first points of the game after six minutes. That small exception aside, defences were well on top in the early stages.

Hull went further ahead when Paul Johnson went high on Scott Logan and Prescott slotted over his second goal and their territorial domination paid off five minutes before half-time. Wigan were short of numbers when Jason Smith hoisted a high kick and the tall winger, Colin Best, out-jumped Brett Dallas, juggled the ball and eventually touched down. Prescott's conversion gave Hull a 10-point lead at the end of a dour first half.

It got worse for Wigan two minutes into the second half when their former player, Chris Chester, kicked through cleverly and Adam Maher timed his run to get there first and touch down.

It took a freakish lapse to get Wigan on the scoreboard, Hull leaving the blind-side unattended after tackling Dallas to allow Hock to stroll over.

That was a reminder to Hull that the game was not quite won yet. Three minutes later, it was, Paul Cooke holding up his pass deceptively to send the teenager, Kirk Yeaman, over for the clincher. Prescott missed the conversion, but his penalty rounded off a solid night's work.

Hull: R Horne; Best, Barnett, Kohe-Love, Prescott; Cooke, J Smith; Greenhill, T Smith, Logan, Maher, Ryan, Chester. Substitutes used: King, Fletcher, Yeaman, G Horne.

Wigan: Radlinski; Carney, Aspinwall, Hodgson, Dallas; O'Loughlin, Lam; O'Connor, M Smith, C Smith, Johnson, Trickle, Hock. Substitutes used: Briscoe, Sculthorpe, Newton, Wild.

Referee: K Kirkpatrick (Warrington).