Old Crossleyans edged by Pontefract in close battle

Crocs travelled to Moor Lane looking to secure a third consecutive win and move further away from the relegation zone but it was the hosts who took the spoils.

Pontefract conceded a string of penalties in the first half but despite their lack of discipline, the home side opened the scoring with a try out wide with six minutes played.

A fortunate bounce from a chip ahead gave Pontefract a second score soon after and Crocs trailed 12-0 after only 13 minutes.

The visitors began to find rhythm however and a darting run from Chris Vine and a well-placed Josh Hunt kick to the corner gave them the impetus.

From the resulting lineout, Pontefract fumbled and Finbar Drennan pounced to touch down and get Crocs on the board at 12-5.

Continued pressure saw Hunt deliver a cross-field kick that found Matt Beswick, who won the aerial contest to score out wide and close the gap to just two points after 25 minutes.

Momentum stayed with Crocs and five minutes later, Hunt regathered his own chip before finding Beswick and he crossed for his second try, putting the visitors 15-12 ahead.

A late penalty struck the post on the stroke of half-time, denying Crocs a further cushion but they went into the interval in good shape.

The second half was fiercely contested. Strong carries from Tom Metcalf, Boj and Raman Sembi, Dan Smith and George Banham took Crocs close but handling errors proved costly.

Pontefract countered from deep, their back three running the length of the field to reclaim the lead at 19-15.

A late penalty chance went wide and with time running out, Crocs lost influential playmaker Josh Hunt to a worrying injury that could keep him side-lined for some time.

Pontefract added a final penalty on the final whistle to close out a 22-15 win.

Crocs will look to regroup during their week off before hosting Bradford Salem at Broomfield on November 22.