Super League: Castleford 38-34 Huddersfield
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 04/04/16 1:44pm
Jy Hitchcox scored a hat-trick as Castleford overcame Super League's bottom club Huddersfield with a 38-34 win on Sunday.
Castleford went into the match missing a host of key players but they dug deep to inflict an eighth defeat of the season on last season's play-off semi-finalists Huddersfield.
Mike McMeeken scored two tries for the hosts in a man-of-the-match performance while Greg Minikin and Jake Webster each scored once.
Giants winger Jermaine McGillvary crossed for a treble on his 200th career appearance, Leroy Cudjoe scored a double and Sam Rapira also went over but Huddersfield were left to reflect on yet another Super League loss.
Young half-back Tom Holmes, on his full debut, thought he had given Castleford the perfect start after pouncing on a dropped ball by Ukuma Ta'ai and going 60 metres but referee Phil Bentham ruled there were two knock-ons.
Instead it was Huddersfield who took the lead in scrappy fashion as Danny Brough's grubber kick ricocheted back to him and Michael Lawrence's pass found Cudjoe via the floor for a simple try.
The Giants targeted Castleford's left edge again soon after and the Tigers were grateful for McGillvary spilling the ball over the line.
Huddersfield had enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges but Castleford were back level when Luke Gale's pinpoint cross-field kick was plucked out of the air and touched down by McMeeken.
The back-rower then turned provider just before the half-hour mark with a neat offload to put Minikin over in the corner.
The Tigers were growing in confidence and looked as if they had crossed for a third unanswered try through Hitchcox only for play to be pulled back for a forward pass by Jake Webster.
Huddersfield drew level courtesy of McGillvary's try from Cudjoe's pass but Castleford edged ahead again on the half-time hooter as Hitchcox raced over in the corner after collecting Webster's offload.
Brough endured a difficult opening 40 minutes with ball in hand but he is always a threat on the last tackle and it was his brilliant cross-field kick that allowed McGillvary to touch down in the corner for his second.
Brough made no mistake with his conversion to make it 18-16 to Huddersfield but the home side were back in front when McMeeken took Holmes' delayed pass to crash over.
While both sides were enjoying themselves in attack they were struggling in defence, something Cudjoe underlined by taking advantage of weak defence to stroll over.
Brough was again on target from the tee to restore Huddersfield's lead, which became an eight-point advantage when the stand-off converted Rapira's powerful effort.
The pattern of the match suggested Castleford were not out of it and they scored the crucial next try through Hitchcox from Gale's long pass.
Huddersfield were rocking like a side short on confidence and they were left chasing the game again after Webster ran over the top of Ryan Brierley before diving over to score.
The Giants appeared to be out of it when Hitchcox crossed in the corner for his hat-trick but McGillvary did likewise a minute later to set up a grandstand finish.
Huddersfield piled pressure on Castleford in the closing stages but the Tigers held on to avenge three defeats against the Giants in 2015.
