Hunslet boss Alan Kilshaw delighted with side's progress following Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Trophy win over Leeds Rhinos

Boss Alan Kilshaw reckons Hunslet are heading in the right direction.
Hunslet celebrate their fourth successive win over Leeds in the Harry Jepson Trophy tie. Picture by Paul Butterfield.Hunslet celebrate their fourth successive win over Leeds in the Harry Jepson Trophy tie. Picture by Paul Butterfield.
Hunslet celebrate their fourth successive win over Leeds in the Harry Jepson Trophy tie. Picture by Paul Butterfield.

The Parksiders followed up their 22-6 Betfred Challenge Cup win over Keighley Cougars by beating Leeds Rhinos 34-6 in yesterday’s Harry Jepson OBE Memorial Trophy tie .

Kilshaw, who rested some of the senior players from the Challenge Cup victory, reflected: “It was good to see how the younger lads went.

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“We didn’t start the best, conceding a try off the back of a penalty, then we had a lot of possession and I was pleased with how patient we were with the ball.

Hunslet's Jordan Paga is tackled by Liam Tindall. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.Hunslet's Jordan Paga is tackled by Liam Tindall. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.
Hunslet's Jordan Paga is tackled by Liam Tindall. Picture by Jonathan Gawthorpe.

“When the monsoon came we handled those conditions better and to come in at half-time 16-6 up, with the weather how it was, it was probably our game to lose.

“I thought we controlled the second half well as well. We scored some nice tries so there’s a lot to be pleased about; a lot to work on, but we are going in the right direction.”

Kilshaw was happy with how his side defended when Leeds did manage to apply some pressure. He said: “We’ve only conceded six points again - 12 in two games - so that bodes really well for the season. There’s some encouraging signs.”

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Hunslet’s win was marred in the final moments when they had Rian Rowley sin-binned following a late tackle - which Kilshaw felt might have been “mistaken identity” - and then Dave Gibbons dismissed, as the hooter sounded, for striking.

Kilshaw admitted that double blow was “disappointing”.

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He said: “The way science and conditioning is now, people are bigger, faster and stronger and we have got to be disciplined.

“We support [a crack down on foul play] - we don’t want head knocks.

“Gibbo, the hooter’s gone and he has lashed out.

“Whether you’re frustrated or not, you can’t do those things, we need to leave it up to the referee.

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“That will be a lesson for him and hopefully it will be looked upon with some leniency by the match review panel, but that’s not really been happening over the last two weeks so if we get a ban we’ll have to cop it.”

Hunslet are mourning their former captain Geoff Crewdson, who has died aged 83.

Signed from Keighley, he scored 28 tries in 128 appearances from 1969-75.

A prop, he was a member of the Great Britain squad that toured Australia and New Zealand in 1966, when he was a Keighley player and joined Hunslet in an exchange deal involving Alan Bancroft.

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Hunslet chairman Kenny Sykes, who played alongside Crewdson, said: “It’s very sad.

“He was a great teammate, a player you wanted to have alongside you and he was also a keen member of the Hunslet RL Ex-Parkside Players’ Association.”

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