There couldn’t have been a trickier tie for Cardiff Demons as the draw sent us up to National Conference League Division One side, Shaw Cross Sharks who were right in the middle of their season.
The game attracted a lot of interest in Yorkshire, so much so that it was agreed to switch the tie to Dewsbury Rams‟ stadium. The game was also to be transmitted live on BBC Radio Bradford while the newspapers were giving it plenty of coverage.
On the eve of the game Cardiff had a full squad. However, by 8am on Sunday morning, this had trickled down to only 14.
Travelling with only one substitute meant that Cardiff were up against it right from the start and it was no surprise when the home side took an early lead through Joe Dickinson. By half-time, the Sharks had rattled in six more tries and we were 40-0 down. The half-time talk from new coach Wayne Williams did wonders as after only 30 seconds of the second period, Dan Clements went over for Cardiff‟s first try while Matthew Dawe added another before the game was over. The final score was 56-12.
Cardiff were well beaten but applauded off the field as their second half performance had won them plenty of friends at the Shaw Cross club and in the large crowd.