ANOTHER appearance in the Association of Colleges National Cup final awaits Furness Raiders after they overcame Wyke College 48-8 in this afternoon’s semi-final at Craven Park.

Two tries apiece for Adam Ford, Charlie Emslie and winger Cameron Currie – who also kicked seven conversions – secured the win for last year’s runners-up against their lower-division opponents from Hull who put in a valiant display as underdogs.

Furness can now start planning for the final, which takes place at Featherstone Rovers’ Post Office Road ground early in May, and will be aiming to go one better than last year when they hosted Wakefield College.

The visitors could hardly have asked for a better start, finding touch from the kick-off and getting good field position, but Furness held out and after gaining a repeat set in Wyke territory they shifted the ball wide for Ford to go over for an unconverted try after eight minutes.

Furness were in again four minutes later, exploiting the space wide on the right again with Ford setting up Cameron Currie for another unconverted try.

Wyke then enjoyed a period of resurgence, having a try ruled out on the left for a forward pass but then getting on the scoresheet when Elliott Jones put up a kick which was taken by winger Tylor Eastwood to score on 23 minutes.

Furness were soon revitalised though and although Elliott Stockdale was stopped just before the line, the full-back was able to offload for prop Rhys Bartlett to crash over under the posts from close range for a simple conversion five minutes later.

A kick into space from Max Anderson-Moore then led to Charlie Emslie scooping up the loose ball to score, followed by Ford motoring through for his second from 30-plus metres out after receiving the ball from a scrum – both of which were converted by Currie to make it 26-4 at half time.

The Raiders were soon in again after play resumed, winning the ball from the kick off and setting up an attack which saw hooker Shane Sanderson shimmy his way through for a try which was again converted by Currie.

An intercepted pass by Eastwood saw him sprint clear to get another unconverted score for Wyke two minutes later, although it proved only to be a consolation.

Stockdale got himself on the scoresheet in the 55th minute when he sliced through the defence for a converted try and that was followed four minutes later by Harry Gordon setting up Currie for another try out wide which he duly added the extras for.

Scotland youth international back row Emslie completed the scoring with his second of the match nine minutes from time, while Wyke ended the match with 12 men on the pitch after having a player sin-binned in the closing stages.