Rugby League: Replay forced close to time

Warrington . . . . . .12

Bradford Northern. . .12

THIS Regal Trophy second-round tie was proof positive that even the scrappiest of games can have a spellbinding finish. With ten minutes to play at Wilderspool, Bradford were trailing 12-2, their chancees surely gone. But then two thrusts down the flanks earned Northern a replay at Odsal in ten days' time and could easily have won them the match at the first attempt.

Paul Medley, a substitute, made the running for the try that opened up the game and Tony Anderson kicked ahead cleverly, showing remarkable pace to beat the defence to the touchdown.

David Hobbs landed a good conversion and Bradford, scenting the possibility of a dramatic recovery, piled on the pressure. Warrington held Bradford out for what should have been their last set of tackles, but on the sixth tackle, David Watson ran the ball towards the left wing. His pass to Brimah Kebbie went to ground as Kebbie tried to keep it moving, but Darrall Shelford plucked it out of the mud to score.

Hobbs, kicking despite a knee injury,put his conversion attempt two yards wide. Warrington's fleeting chance to rescue the game in the last two minutes came to nothing when Duane Mann failed with a dropped goal.

Warrington's half-backs, Kelly Shelford and Greg Mackey, had given them the edge until the final ten minutes. Mackey created tries for Allan Bateman and Gary Sanderson, both converted by Tony Thorniley, while Bradford, missing the injured Deryck Fox, managed just a Hobbs penalty.

Warrington: R Myler; M Kenyon, A Bateman (sub: K Ellis, 72 min), T Thorniley, M Forster; K Shelford, G Mackey; G Chambers, D Mann, G Tees (sub: P Derbyshire, 56 min), G Sanderson, N Harmon (sub: Tees, 63 min), P Cullen.

Bradford Northern: R Simpson (P Medley 28 mins); B Kebbie, T Marchant, D Shelford, T Anderson; D Watson, N Summers; D Hobbs, B Noble (sub: T Clark, 51 min), J Hamer, R Powell, K Fairbank, D Heron.

Referee: J Smith (Halifax).

Scores: Bateman/Thorniley (try/goal, 21 min, 6-0); Hobbs (pen, 33 min, 6-2); Sanderson/Thorniley (try/goal, 64 min, 12-2); Anderson/Hobbs (try/goal, 70 min, 12-8); D Shelford (try, 76 min, 12-12).