Miners Rangers jumped a couple of places up the table with this thrilling win in Bank Holiday sunshine as the only game of the day in the NCL certainly delivered the goods. Siddal, in red hot form coming into this fixture, showed just why they are so highly-regarded this season in the first half which they dominated to lead 14-4 but a storming Miners comeback saw them draw level, then claw back again after Siddal regained the lead, before closing the game out in the final stages. In a strong Siddal effort in the first half Tom Garratt, Ross White and Chester Butler impressed with their aggressive running and strong defence but Miners rallied after the break and with Shaun Dowie, Danny Jackson and hat-trick winger Brad Hargreaves on song they turned the tide decisively.

After an even opening period Siddal opened the scoring when Taniela Bakoso showed his strength to surge in from fifteen metres out. The score was doubled when Butler made the break down the left and flicked out an inspired offload for Gareth Blackburn to touch down, Liam Coe goaling. Miners steadied the ship a little when Martin Gray drove to the line and offloaded for Danny Jones to pick up and score, but an uncharacteristically-flat Miners were further punished just before the break when they spilled the ball inside their own thirty and Gavin Stead was swiftest to react and score for 14-4 at the break.

Miners needed a quick response after the break and when Ellis Grimes gathered a kick he put Dowie in for the try to spark the comeback, the Australian goaling his own try. Miners had another within five minutes, a fine break and the ball moved left for Hargreaves to score out wide. Immediately Siddal hit back as they forced a Miners error and from their position Billy Hammond crashed through to score and a four point advantage. But Miners responded swiftly themselves, Jackson driving to the line and somehow wrestling his way over the whitewash to level. The game was on a knife-edge but with five minutes remaining the home side took the lead for the first time, Hargreaves bursting in to score his second goaled by Dowie and then at the death Dowie and Andrew Groves combined to put Hargreaves over for the hat-trick.

Miners – Andrew Groves, Brad Hargreaves, Mick O’Boyle, Adam Thomason, Harry Gagen, Shaun Dowie, Scott O’Brien, Matt Astley, Danny Jones, Darryl Kay, Connor Ratcliffe, Danny Jackson, Ellis Grimes Subs – Tony Doyle, Tommy Parkinson, Tom Farrimond, Martin Gray

Tries – Jones (26), Dowie (46), Hargreaves (50, 75, 79), Jackson (58)

Goals – Dowie 2

MoM – Danny Jackson

Siddal – Freddie Walker, Gareth Blackburn, Chester Butler, Gavin Stead, Taniela Bakoso, Chris Brooke, Liam Coe, Danny Williams, Craig Sanderson, Iain Davies, Tom Garratt, Billy Hammond, Ross White Subs – Sean McCormack, Gareth Greenwood, James Hanson, George Ambler

Tries – Bakoso (12), Blackburn (20), Stead (39), Hammond (55)

Goal – Coe

MoM – Iain Davies

HT – 14-4

Referee – Tony Martin

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