Bradford Bulls climbed above fierce rivals Leeds Rhinos and into the Super League playoff places with a 46-32 win over Castleford Tigers tonight.
Shaun Ainscough scored a hat-trick of tries for the Bulls as they triumphed over bottom-of-the-table Castleford in a high-scoring affair at Odsal.
Ainscough touched down twice in the first period as the hosts established a 34-16 half-time advantage.
Earlier efforts from Keith Lulia, Brett Kearney, John Bateman, Olivier Elima had seen the Bulls serge ahead but counter scores from Jordan Thompson, Rangi Chase and Nathan Massey helped keep the Tigers in touch.
A Rhys Williams double and another Chase score saw Castleford reduce the deficit to single figures.
However, further tries from Kearney and Ainscough, and a consistent kicking display from Luke Gale, saw Bradford run clear late on and secure victory.
Joe Fish
