Friday Night Lights: Tigers Claim Rivals Win Over Wakefield

Tigers 26 – 22 Trinity

Castleford Tigers edged local rivals Wakefield Trinity 26–22 in a tense Round 25 clash under the Friday night lights at the OneBore Stadium. A crowd of 7,543 saw the Tigers deliver a gritty performance, holding off a late fightback to claim a vital win.

There were changes to the Tigers’ line-up, with captain Sam Wood returning in the centres and Will Tate starting on the wing. From the off, Cas showed intent as George Lawler’s carries and Tex Hoy’s kicking pushed Trinity back, while Liam Horne set the tone with strong defence.

After Trinity opened the scoring through Tom Johnstone, Chris Atkin responded in style. From a scrum, the halfback dummied and sliced through before crashing over, with Daejarn Asi converting for 6–4. Elliot Wallis then finished a flowing move in the corner, before Wood marked his return with a sweeping run to extend the lead to 14–4. Wakefield pulled one back before the break, sending the teams in at 14–10.

The visitors struck first in the second half, a bouncing kick gathered for a converted try to make it 16–14. But Castleford quickly regained control. Alex Mellor powered through under the posts, Hoy adding the extras, and soon after Horne slid in following Lawler’s clever kick ahead, stretching the lead to 26–16.

Wakefield were not finished. Nikotemo crossed in the 72nd minute to cut the gap to four, setting up a nervy finale. Both sides used captain’s challenges in a frantic closing period, but the Tigers’ defence — led by Tate and Senior out wide — stood tall. A late Wakefield error allowed Cas to see out the game and secure a much-needed victory.

Final Score: Castleford Tigers 26–22 Wakefield Trinity

Castleford Tigers
Tries: Atkin (14’), Wallis (24’), Wood (30’), Mellor (53’), Horne (65’)
Goals: Asi (15’), Hoy (55’, 66’)

Wakefield Trinity
Tries: Johnstone (6’), Rourke (36’, 46’), Nikotemo (72’)
Goals: Lino (37’, 47’, 72’)

Referee: Aaron Moore
Video Referee: Tom Grant
Attendance: 7,503

Sky Player of the Match: Chris Atkin
Tigers Player of the Match: Daejarn Asi