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Hull Vikings v Sheffield Tigers
Premier Trophy (Group), 27 April 2005
Craven Park, Hull
| 1 | Paul Thorp | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | . | . | . | 9 | 0 |
| 2 | Emiliano Sanchez | 2* | 2* | 3 | 2* | 2 | . | . | 11 | 3 |
| 3 | Lee Dicken | 2 | 2* | 0 | Fn | . | . | . | 4 | 1 |
| 4 | Emil Kramer | 1* | 3 | 1 | 1 | . | . | . | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | Garry Stead | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1* | . | . | 12 | 1 |
| 6(g) | Lubos Tomicek | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | . | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | Craig Branney | 1* | M | R | 1 | . | . | . | 2 | 1 |
| 1 | Sean Wilson | 1 | R | 2 | 3 | 3 | . | . | 9 | 0 |
| 2 | Ben Wilson | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1* | . | . | . | 4 | 1 |
| 3 | Richard Hall | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4^* | 0 | . | . | 10 | 1 |
| 4 | Ricky Ashworth | R | 1* | R | 3 | . | . | . | 4 | 1 |
| 5 | Andre Compton | 2 | 1 | 2* | 1 | . | . | . | 6 | 1 |
| 6 | Paul Cooper | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2* | . | . | 11 | 1 |
| 7(g) | James Cockle | Fx | 0 | 1* | . | . | . | . | 1 | 1 |
* = BP. ^ = TR . ! = TS (15m Handicap). # = TR (Points Not Doubled). & = TS (Points Not Doubled, 15m Handicap).
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After looking to have this match in the bag Hull came perilously close to losing it as Sheffield stormed back in the closing heats. Hull had Lubos Tomicek as a guest at reserve for Joel Parsons while Sheffield had James Cockle also as a guest for the injured Kyle Legault. Hull got off to a cracking start in this match with a 5-1 in the opening heat from Paul Thorp and Emiliano Sanchez. Paul Cooper won heat 2 for Sheffield to keep the gap at four points and Richard Hall did likewise in heat 3. A 4-2 in heat 4 from Garry Stead who beat Andre Compton with Lubos Tomicek third put the Vikings six ahead at 15-9. In heat 5 Hull produced a real hammer blow to Sheffield’s hopes when Emil Kramer and Lee Dicken beat the two Wilsons for a 5-1 which put them 10 ahead at 20-10. Another 5-1 followed from Thorp and Sanchez again and Hull were 25-11 ahead and threatening to run riot. Two shared heats followed to take the score to 31-17 after heat 8. Sheffield hit back with a 1-5 in heat 9 from Paul Cooper and Andre Compton from Emil Kramer to pull back to 32-22 but the Thorp/Sanchez pairing took their third 5-1 success in heat 10 to stretch the Hull lead to 14 points at 37-23. Garry Stead won heat 11 for a shared heat but Sheffield looked down and out looking at a 14 point deficit with only four heats to go. What a shock they gave Hull though over the next three heats! In heat 12 Paul Cooper won heat 12 and was followed home by his partner, Richard Hall, who was on a TR for a 1-7 to Sheffield. This brought the score back to 41-33. Then in heat 13 Sean Wilson beat Garry Stead with Andre Compton third from Paul Thorp and the gap was down to six points at 43-37. Worse was to follow for Hull as Ricky Ashworth and Paul Cooper then slammed in another 1-5 in heat 14 and suddenly it was all to play for with Hull leading by just two points at 44-42 going into the final heat. Sean Wilson won the heat for Sheffield but Emiliano Sancheza and Garry Stead kept Richard Hall at the back for a nerve wracking 3-3 which meant that Hull had just held on for the win. Match Report by Merlin |