SLAITHWAITE Saracens were brought down to earth with a bump when they were beaten 22-14 by a very physical Hunslet Old Boys side in the third round of the Yorkshire Cup.
In what proved to be a contest that wasn’t for the faint hearted, Slaithwaite took a fifth-minute lead when Richard Flooks landed a penalty for a high tackle.
Then five minutes later a mass brawl ended with James Bracken and a Hunslet player being sent off.
After 22 minutes Hunslet took the lead for the first time.
But three minutes later Kyle Dyson squeezed in at the corner for Flooks to add an excellent touchline goal.
Unfortunately, the visitors scored again just before the break to give them a 14-8 interval advantage.
After the restart, the referee appeared incapable of keeping Hunslet onside, which obviously made Slaithwaite’s task of playing their usual game almost impossible.
The Old Boys extended their lead with a converted try after 45 minutes before Matt Stewart gave his side some late hope with a try, converted by Flooks, with five minutes remaining.
But a last-minute penalty finally ended Slaithwaite’s hopes of further county cup glory.
