Cross Hills 2 Keighley Shamrocks 1

Saturday's Keighley FA Challenge Cup semi-final was very nearly a victim of the weather but referee Dave Etherington gave the game a late thumbs up only minutes before the scheduled kick off.

Keighley Shamrocks will be wishing the game had been postponed as Cross Hills avenged last year's semi-final defeat against the same opposition.

The game had a slow start with chances for both sides scarce and the surface didn't help.

Shamrocks were the first to create a clear cut chance and were unlucky when Matthew Bland saw his powerful header scrape the post on the half hour mark.

Cross Hills steadied the ship and were unlucky when Damien Whiteoak narrowly failed to convert a corner minutes later.

Danny Finn reacted quickest when a Bland header landed at his feet and the Shamrocks skipper duy dispatched his shot past Green in the Cross Hills goal to put the visitors in front minutes from the break.

Hills went back on the attack and with seconds to go before the interval forced home the equaliser as Spencer Harrison in the Shamrocks goal punched a corner out to the feet of Adam Whiteoak who fired home from close range to send the sides in level at the break.

The second half was a lot tighter and again chances were a few. With 20 minutes to go, Finn was dismissed for deliberate hand ball and Shamrocks knew they were up against it.

They did well to contain Hills but with only six minutes remaining Liam Bellamy had the cruellest of luck when he attempted to clear an innocent looking cross.

As he was about to clear the ball skidded off a divot and went straight between his legs and fell at the feet of the grateful Robert Bradley who steadied himself and smashed the ball home past the stranded Harrison in the Shamrocks goal.

Shamrocks went back on the attack. Damien Lee took on and beat a host of defenders before unleashing a drive towards the Cross Hills goal only for Green to pull off a full stretch save.

Stephen Throup was outstanding for Cross Hills and the pick of the Shamrocks pack was Bland.

Cross Hills now await the winners of the Long Lee v Oxenhope game, which will be played next month, in the final.

Shamrocks Reserves lost away at Kirkburton 5-2 with Jack Kershaw and Ryan Hook on target for Shamrocks, who played with nine men for 55 minutes due to the petulance of two of their players who were sent off for dissent.