Workington Town 22 Doncaster RLFC 12: Dons lose in Challenge Cup fourth round

Jason Tali, right, scored twice in the defeat at Workington.

The Dons flew the flag for League One last season when reaching the sixth round and producing a spirited display in defeat against Catalans Dragons.

They looked favourites to progress when leading 12-6 at the interval only to concede three tries without reply in the second half.

The South Yorkshire side, who needed a late try to beat NCL Thornhill in the last round, got off to a confidence-boosting start when full-back Watson Boas put fellow PNG international Jason Tali over for a fifth-minute try which scrum-half Matty Beharrell, playing his first game since a close-season knee operation, converted.

Their hopes of building on their start suffered a blow a couple of minutes later when prop Russ Spiers was sin-binned for a high tackle.

Town looked to capitalise on their extra man and bombed a great chance to open their account when Elliott Hall dropped the ball with the Dons looking exposed.

Hall atoned for his mistake when denying winger Josh Rickett, who had got on the end of a high kick to the corner, from touching down.

Playing at full-back for the first time this season, Boas did well to get a hand an inside pass when faced with a two-on-one.

Town weren’t to be denied, however, with loose-forward Hanley Dawson touching down on the half hour near enough for Carl Forber to convert.

The Dons finished the half as they had started with skipper Brad Foster breaking the line and then sending Tali over for his second converted try to give his side a six-point interval lead.

That’s the way it stayed until Town drew level just before the hour mark with a converted try by Blaine Marwood who had just come off the bench.

The Dons were forced to dig deep as the Cumbrians started to build some momentum but fell behind for the first time when half-back Jamie Doran touched down from a kick which had hit the foot of the post on 68 minutes.

The result remained in the balance until Hall touched down from another kick.

Dons: Boas, Rickett, Smeaton, Tali, Doherty, Chase, Beharrell; Spiers, Carter, Boyle, Foster, Ollett, Horne. Subs: Cross, Douglas, Peltier, McLoughlin.