Castleford seize initiative from Wakefield in race to reach play-offs

Castleford's and Wakefield's willingness to share resources off the field was not replicated on it today, when the Tigers dented their rivals' play-off hopes with an eventually comprehensive victory. The two clubs confirmed this week that they are finally prepared to discuss the possibility of sharing a new stadium, but there was little goodwill shown here by the ruthless Tigers, who recorded a fifth win from their past six matches. Victory moves them above the Wildcats into eighth place, and it also meant that they lifted the Adam Watene Trophy, played for in memory of the prop who played for both clubs before his untimely untimely death from a heart attack last year. Castleford's scrum‑half Rangi Chase played a key role in their win with two assists, but it was his half‑back partner Dean Widders who was the real star, especially during a second half in which he scored two tries and created another. "I thought he was poor in the first half but we dealt with a few things and he was outstanding in the second half," said Castleford's coach Terry Matterson. "Deano put his hand up and knew he wasn't good enough, but we didn't dwell on it and moved forward. This was a big game for us, and not just because of the win, but also for the [points] for and against – it could come down to that at the end of the season. With five games to go we've given ourselves a chance of finishing in the top eight." After Joe Westerman had opened the scoring for the home side with an early penalty, it was the Wildcats who recorded the first try when Ben Jeffries sent the hard‑working second-row Glenn Morrison over. Castleford responded when Widders created a try for Kirk Dixon, but despite Sean Gleeson being sent to the sin-bin for a professional foul, Wakefield went in at the interval ahead, courtesy of Matt Blaymire's try. Apart from a 55th‑minute Glenn Morrison effort which briefly closed the gap to two points, the home team were dominant throughout the second half. Widders started the shift in momentum when he broke through and sent Dixon over for his second shortly after the restart, and then Michael Wainwright crossed on the left-hand side. Chase then laid on two crucial tries for Widders in the space of five minutes, before late scores by Ryan McGoldrick and Ryan Hudson sealed a one-sided win and moved them into the final play-off place. "Castleford certainly played well in the second half – they completed 16 sets out of 18 and the ball fizzed about," John Kear, the Wakefield coach, said. "Our energy levels were down and it was pretty easy for them in the end. We don't deserve to be in the play-offs if we play like that. Of the two teams playing for the top eight, it was obvious that Castleford were far superior to ourselves." Castleford Tigers McGoldrick; Dixon, Shenton, Ferres, Wainwright; Widders, Chase; Huby, Hudson, Jackson, Snitch, Clayton, Westerman. Interchange Sargent, Higgins, Jones, Thompson. Wakefield Trinity Wildcats Blaymire; Gleeson, Murphy, Millard, Blanch; Cooke, Jeffries; Leaeno, Rinaldi, Moore, Demetriou, Johnson, Morrison. Interchange Korkidas, Henderson, King, Leo‑Latu. Referee : J Child (Dewsbury).