Wildcats feast on Quins
Wakefield Wildcats ran in 10 tries to end a six-match losing streak in style with a 54-12 victory over Harlequins.
Last Updated: 23/05/10 5:57pm
Wakefield Wildcats ran in 10 tries to end a six-match losing streak in style with a 54-12 victory over Harlequins.
John Kear's men have struggled badly in recent weeks, losing ground in the race for a play-off spot and being dumped out of the Carnegie Challenge Cup at the hands of Quins.
Yet they rediscovered their form at a sunny Belle Vue as Luke George, Sean Gleeson and Sam Obst touched down in the opening 40 minutes to put them in control.
Kevin Henderson, Damien Blanch, Jason Demetriou and Paul Cooke went over in the second half and Obst, Gleeson and George completed braces.
Vibrant
The Wildcats were vibrant from the outset and Obst superbly engineered an opening in the fourth minute.
The scrum-half collected possession deep inside his own half and showed blistering speed to burst through a gap in the Quins defence and embark on a strong run down the right channel.
He showed intelligence to find Gleeson to his left but the centre could not match his team-mate's precision as an attempted offload to Blanch was intercepted by a visiting defender.
Obst illustrated his defensive qualities in the 14th minute when his high kick was expertly fielded by Quins full-back Jamie O'Callaghan, who then showed impressive pace and neat footwork to carry the ball out of defence and leave a clutch of Wakefield players in his wake.
O'Callaghan looked set to race down the left channel unopposed but Obst refused to give up the chase and got a vital touch to halt the Londoners' progress on the halfway line.
Yet the momentum remained largely with the Wildcats and two tries in four minutes put them in total control.
In the 16th minute Cooke's high kick to the left corner was caught and grounded by George and try number two soon followed when Paul Johnson's neat short offload sent Gleeson scampering over the line.
Cooke converted both scores to put his side 12-0 ahead and it came as no surprise when the Wildcats added a third try in the 27th minute. Obst started and finished a move which saw the ball pass through Johnson and Gleeson and culminated in Obst racing under the posts.
Freedom
Cooke again added the extras but Quins scored a try out of nothing in the 32nd minute when Tony Clubb was given the freedom of the park to waltz through the Wakefield defence and touch down.
Danny Orr converted but the hosts remained largely in control and they added a fourth try four minutes after the restart when replacement Henderson barged his way over in the right corner.
Cooke added the extras and in the 52nd minute Blanch raced 80 metres to touch down and shortly before the hour mark Demetriou took advantage of another gaping hole in the Quins defence to race clear from distance.
Gleeson, George and Obst again produced clinical finishes to stretch Wakefield's lead before Cooke - who kicked seven goals - grabbed his side's 10th try from close range.
That ensured Luke Dorn's last-minute effort, which Orr converted, was mere consolation for the visitors.
