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Rugby League

Wakefield win sets up relegation dogfight

05/08/2006

Wakefield Wildcats came through a fierce encounter away at the Jungle with only eleven men but all three points as they beat Castleford 18-0.

Monty Betham and Ned Catic both saw red in John Kear's first game in charge of Wakefield, but thanks to a spirited second-half performance his side overcame their numerical disadvantage to run out clear winners.

Winger Semi Tadulala notched his 16th try of the season putting the visitors ahead and scoring the only points of a tight and tetchy first period that boiled over in dramatic fashion just before the interval.

Having made a tackle on Michael Shenton, Betham was enraged by a perceived eye-gauge and aimed a flurry of wild punches at the opposition player sparking a mass brawl involving both sets of players.

Down to ten men Wakefield emerged from the break and were forced to absorb some concerted pressure from the hosts who, on the rare occasions they could find a way past the Wildcat defence, had sloppy handling to blame for their failure to break their duck.

With Cas tiring Wakefield escaped from under the cosh in the final quarter with Colm Halpenny, James Evans and Tommy Saxton all crossing for tries.

But the bad blood between the two sides wasn't finished and in the dying minutes Catic finished an argument with Danny Sculthorpe by planting his forehead in his face and was duly dispatched back to the dressing room by the over-worked referee Richard Silverwood.

Wakefield's win lifts them off the bottom of the Superleague table and within three points of today's beaten opponents and just two of Wigan.

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