KR battle back for victory

Saturday 27th February 2010

Free-scoring winger Shaun Ainscough marked his Castleford debut with a sensational hat-trick but still finished on the losing side as Hull KR came from 20-12 down to condemn the Tigers to a 24-20 defeat.

The 20-year-old Ainscough, signed this week on a month's loan as a short-term replacement for broken-leg victim Richard Owen, shot to prominence last season with 17 tries in just 12 appearances for home-town team Wigan, including one on debut against the Tigers.

To force his way into the Warriors side under Michael Maguire, Ainscough spent the first month of the season at Championship club Widnes but quickly demonstrated his Super League credentials at his new club.

The devastating finisher took less than 10 minutes to make his mark at the Jungle with his first try, added two more in the second half and also had another disallowed by the video referee.

It ought to have been enough to guarantee victory but Joe Westerman missed two of his four conversion attempts and Rovers rallied superbly to snatch the points with tries in the last 16 minutes from Ben Cockayne and teenage prop Liam Watts.