West Bowling bowed out of the Carnegie Challenge Cup with their heads held high following a last gasp 22-20 defeat at Wigan St Judes.

Judes will count themselves very lucky to be making the trip to Hunslet Warriors in round two after Bowling’s substitute forward Sha Basha had a try ruled out with seconds remaining.

Coach Ricky Helliwell said: “Sha definitely got the ball down over the line but the referee was behind play and when he eventually arrived the St Judes defenders had managed to get their hands under the ball and he ruled it out.”

Bowling fell behind early doors but stand-off Todd Carter split the defence to send his half-back colleague Joe Simpson over for a converted effort to level matters.

The Conference Premier hosts stretched their lead to 16-6 at the break before Bowling set them back on their heels with a golden spell which produced three touchdowns.

Wingman Dom Hatfield coasted over, quickly followed by further efforts from centre Martin Tordoff and prop forward Ian Wormald.

Simpson added a second conversion and a major upset was on the cards.

The Wigan side hit the front but West’s tenacity saw them time their finish to the letter, only to see their hopes dashed after a splendid display that bodes well for the future.

Bradford Dudley Hill made the long journey to Cumbria only to find that the pitch at opponents Kells was unplayable.

While the travel costs are subsidised by the RFL, this was clearly a scenario that should not have happened.

The rules state that a local referee should be consulted if the game is in doubt to prevent unnecessary expense, and the Kells club have been advised regarding the correct procedure to be followed before next week's attempt to get the game under way.