Castleford Tigers 18, Bradford Bulls 18; by Nigel Askham at Wheldon Road.

Bulls loose forward Steve Mc-Namara kept his nerve when all around him were losing theirs to snatch a point in a terrific Super League derby which was packed with controversy.

His side were staring defeat in the face when they trailed 18-16 with just three minutes remaining having being reduced to 12-men moments earlier following the dismissal of prop Paul Anderson for allegedly leading with the elbow.

But there was still time for one more critical decision from the officials when a touch judge ruled Tigers skipper Adrian Vowles had interfered at the play-the-ball and referee Steve Ganson awarded a 40 metre penalty.

McNamara has come under fire on occasions for not delivering with his kicks under pressure but this time he was the coolest figure in the house as he confidently stroked the ball over.

Both sides had late chances to win the match but a draw was probably a fair result in the final analysis.

Francis Maloney had a drop goal attempt charged down and the Bulls had one thrilling raid inspired by substitute Paul Deacon and Man of the Match Michael Withers .

However, the Bulls looked to have good reason for complaint in the third quarter as referee Steve Ganson came up with several puzzling decisions which kept them firmly on the back foot.

Most bizarre of all was the decision to sin-bin full-back Stuart Spruce for holding down in a most innocuous looking Tigers raid at a time when it was hardly an issue and apparently without any previous warning.

Danny Orr duly closed the gap to 10-8 from the resulting penalty but the Bulls actually increased their advantage during his absence from the field of play.

Withers, who looked sharp all afternoon showed his versatility by stepping into the full-back berth and joining the line with great timing before freeing his arms superbly in the tackle to hand a try on a plate to the alert Robbie Paul.

McNamara, who landed five goals from five attempts, tagged on the goal and at 16-8 they were well placed to go on and play down the clock from there.

But as the Bulls became increasingly frustrated with the officials the Tigers gained the initiative and showed just how far they have come under Stuart Raper.

Their movement of the ball was slightly crisper and they took full advantage when a touch judge intervened with a forward pass ruling against the Bulls as Ganson started to lose his way completely.

Moments later Darren Rogers raced in off Aaron Raper's pass as Danny Peacock's knee gave way in the defensive line.

In a rare Bulls raid James Lowes just didn't spot the supporting Robbie Paul after his clever kick had unlocked the defence and after more indiscipline Tigers substitute Gael Tallec romped in from 40 metres with Spruce wrong-footed.

Maloney's goal edged the Tigers ahead for the first time in the game but the Bulls deserved something for their contribution and Mc-Namara, who had helped earn them an 8-0 advantage in a dominant opening quarter courtesy of a neatly taken try and two goals, gave them it with his fifth goal.

Overall it was pretty sound team effort against a Tigers side who look a good bet for a top-five spot but going forward the Bulls still aren't operating at their peak as the Paul brothers partnership takes time to click at club level in the way it does for New Zealand.

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