PILKINGTON Recs have been handed an away trip to Millom in Cumbria in the second round of the Challenge Cup after a hard fought 16-28 victory over Yorkshire side Stanningley at the weekend.

With the weather producing snow, rain and gales, this was never going to be a spectacle of open flowing rugby.

Recs, looking dominant in the first quarter, were unable to take advantage of good field position as the opposition dug deep in defence and it took 25 minutes before the scores were opened as Kyran Knapper dived in the corner after fantastic handling skills from Ryan Hilliard and Mark Ashton.

As the conditions worsened, mistakes became more frequent and the home side scored two quickfire tries after capitalising on Recs mistakes to lead 10-4.

Ian Stanley reduced the gap to two points with before Stanningley scored on the stroke of half-time.

With the wind behind them in the second half, Recs took control of the tie with a blistering opening 15 minutes.

First, a neat blind side play by Danny Lynch put Stanley clear before he returned the pass to Lynch who scored beneath the posts. Lynch converted.

Then the impressive Ryan Hilliard was next on the score sheet after powering his way over the line before forcing the ball to ground despite the attention of the defenders. Ashton then bagged his opening try of the season after racing on to a lofted Lynch pass.

The final say of the match went to Jamie Smith who barged over from close range for a converted try with 15 minutes left on the clock.

Danny Lynch was the AMDEC Man of the Match