Tickle has Hull smiling again

Danny Tickle

shrugged off a

niggling knee

injury in his kicking

leg to land

four goals from four

attempts — and how

Hull welcomed them.

Leeds had an opportunity

to go two points clear at the

top of the Super League

against a Hull side trapped

in the lower reaches and

struggling for consistency.

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Hull coach Peter Sharp had

used 26 players in the opening

13 league games and

seen his side drop seven

points at home falling to

10th in the table.

But this was more like

the Hull who recovered

from a poor start last

season to reach their

first Grand Final and

Tickle’s contribution at

the KC Stadium yesterday

fitted Sharp’s overall

appraisal of "a brave and committed

effort" from his side.

Tickle, a close -season

signing from Wigan, has

shouldered the goal-kicking

responsibility since the

iconic Paul Cooke's

contentious transfer to

neighbours Hull KR three

weeks ago.

The last of his four kicks,

when he swung his bandaged

knee to convert a

penalty from 45 metres after

61 minutes, nudged Hull just

far enough in front to contain

a late surge by Leeds.

Sharp said: "We are still

searching for the consistency

of the top sides but I was

reasonably pleased."

So was his full back, Shaun

Briscoe, another former

Wigan man who was keen to

catch the eye of the Leeds

coach Tony Smith —

installed as the new Great

Britain supremo and looking

to blood new faces against

France next month.

Briscoe came up with a

crucial touchdown at the

end of the first half when the

Leeds defence did not

anticipate Richard Horne’s

grubber kick and the Hull

man went over unopposed.

Earlier, a Tickle penalty

and winger Matt Sing’s converted

try had given Hull the

momentum to take the

battle to Leeds before Kevin

Sinfield’s long pass got

Jamie Jones-Buchanan over.

Leeds had stand off Danny

McGuire sin-binned for

‘ungentlemanly conduct’

when he delayed a restart by

Hull and it was ironic that

they did not concede any

further points until just after

the half back returned.

Leeds had enough opportunities

to win and go top

again. But they coughed up

the ball far too often.

In the end, Brent Webb’s

try after fine work by Clinton

Toopi and Jordan Tansey,

converted by Rob Burrow

while Sinfield was off with a

dislocated finger, was all

they could manage.

Rhinos coach Tony Smith

said: "It was touch and go

but it came down to a few

big plays at the end when we

were not good enough."