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Huddersfield 14 Wakefield 35

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Huddersfield 14 Wakefield 35: Wildcats storm back to cut Giants down to size

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UPDATED:

16:24 GMT, 22 July 2012

Wakefield scored 29 unanswered points in coming from 14-6 down to claim their first win in five Stobart Super League matches and ruin Huddersfield coach Paul Anderson's first match in charge of the Giants.

Anderson was fast-tracked into the role of head coach following the sacking of Nathan Brown but he was unable to halt a run of results that has seen the Giants win just one of their last nine matches.

The former Great Britain forward had rung the changes by handing the captaincy to Luke Robinson and recalling five players after the heavy Challenge Cup defeat by Warrington, including Greg Eden who was a late inclusion after winger Aaron Murphy pulled out through injury after the warm-up.

Party time: Wakefield celebrate as they come from behind to beat Huddersfield

Party time: Wakefield celebrate as they come from behind to beat Huddersfield

The re-shuffle looked to have had the desired effect as Huddersfield established an eight-point lead six minutes into the second half but the Wildcats struck back to expose their opponents' fragile confidence by running in four tries in the last 18 minutes.

The Giants enjoyed all the early pressure but the Wildcats demonstrated some tough defence, led by skipper Danny Kirmond, the former Huddersfield second-rower.

It took a mistake for the home side to open the scoring, full-back Scott Grix seizing on a dropped pass by scrum-half Tim Smith just inside his own half and the supporting Luke George, one of six ex-Wakefield men in the Giants line-up, held off Ben Cockayne in a sprint to the line.

Danny Brough's conversion attempt rebounded off an upright and the visitors drew level on 24 minutes when Cockayne raced onto Smith's grubber kick on the last tackle to score his 11th try of the season.

Paul Sykes' goal edged the Wildcats in front and they went close to extending their lead with a thrilling counter-attack.

Full-back Richard Mathers released Peter Fox after collecting a kick behind his own line and the former England winger sprinted up to halfway before passing inside to Dean Collis, who was stopped by Lee Gilmour.

Wakefield held onto their lead until the last minute of the first half when they were undone by Brough's miscued kick, which found centre Leroy Cudjoe who got George over for his second try of the match and his 14th of the season.

Brough again failed with the conversion but the Giants added a third try early in the second half when replacement hooker Tommy Lee, another former Wildcat, split the visitors' defence open with a dummy and prop Eorl Crabtree was on his inside to take the final pass.

Brough's only goal of the match made it 14-6 but Wakefield got back into the game when Smith's kick bounced awkwardly for the Giants defence and Collis was on hand to claim the touchdown.

The Wildcats had a let-off when Huddersfield prop Keith Mason dropped the ball over the line and they hit the front again on 62 minutes when Brough went to intercept a pass by Sykes and gave ex-Leeds centre Lee Smith a clear run-in for his first try for the club.

Six minutes later the Giants failed to prevent a trademark offload from second-rower Ali Lauitiiti as Mathers went over for his side's fourth try and Sykes' third goal made it 22-14.

The Giants were in freefall by then and Tim Smith and Kirmond added further tries in the final 10 minutes, with Sykes taking his goal tally to five and adding a drop goal for good measure.

Sylvain Guintoli first and second at Assen in World Superbike Championship

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One-two finishes for Guintoli at Dutch round of World Superbike Championship

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UPDATED:

21:30 GMT, 22 April 2012

Sylvain Guintoli finished first and second in the two races of the Dutch round of the World Superbike Championship at Assen on Sunday.

The Effenbert Liberty Ducati rider led home a rain-affected race one but had to settle for second to Jonathan Rea in race two at the home event for the Northern Irishman’s Honda team.

Aprilia rider Max Biaggi posted fourth and eighth places to lead title holder Carlos Checa by one point in the standings. Britain’s Tom Sykes lies third overall, 13 points back from Biaggi, despite only posting a sixth in race two on his Kawasaki.

Out in front: Sylvain Guintoli takes the lead

Out in front: Sylvain Guintoli takes the lead

Wakefield 26 Salford 22: Wildcats fast start leaves Reds with too much to do

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Wakefield 26 Salford 22: Wildcats fast start leaves Reds with too much to do

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UPDATED:

19:03 GMT, 21 April 2012

Wakefield produced a dominant
first-half performance but were forced to withstand a tremendous
fightback before claiming a first win in five games and condemning
fellow strugglers Salford to a fourth successive Stobart Super League
defeat.

The Reds won the second half 16-4
but had left themselves too much to do after an error-strewn opening in
which they simply could not handle the strong-running Wildcats forwards.

Acting captain Danny Kirmond and
front rower Oliver Wilkes were outstanding as Wakefield raced out of the
blocks, scoring two tries in the first six minutes, and they had also
two others disallowed inside the opening quarter.

Loose forward Danny Washbrook combined with stand-off Isaac John to get impressive centre Dean Collis over for the first and then took scrum-half Tim Smith's inside pass to go over himself.

As the visitors struggled to get a foothold in the contest, Wildcats hooker Paul Aiton regathered his own grubber kick only for video referee Ben Thaler to rule a knock-on and Kirmond was denied a try for a forward pass.

Prop Andy Raleigh became the fifth Wakefield player to cross the line but he was held on his back and the misses began to look costly when Salford scored a breakaway try.

Winger Ashley Gibson collected Smith's towering kick meant for Ben Cockayne 10 metres from his own line and raced upfield before sending the supporting Daniel Holdsworth over.

Holdsworth added the goal to cut the deficit to six points but Wakefield re-asserted their authority with two further tries in the last 10 minutes of the first half.

Second rower Frankie Mariano crashed over for his first try of the season and a superb one-handed pass from Collis got winger Peter Fox over for the Wildcats' fourth try.

Paul Sykes' third goal made it 22-6 at the break but Salford livened up in the second half, particularly following the introduction of back rower Chris Nero, who scored their second try after being put through a gap by Holdsworth.

Holdsworth's second goal reduced the gap to 10 points but Sykes put the home side two scores in front with a penalties on 64 and 71 minutes.

The Reds would have scored had centre Joel Moon been able to gather Holdsworth's high kick but the ball slipped through his grasp with the line beckoning, while Collis came up with crucial tackle to haul down dangerous winger Jodie Broughton.

Salford saved their best rugby for the last five minutes, with Gibson going over for two tries in two minutes, and they would have snatched an unlikely victory had second rower Matty Ashurst been able to take Moon's pass with the line open.