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Last Updated: Friday, 2 December 2005, 22:24 GMT

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Leeds 18-18 Newcastle

MATCH SUMMARY

Leeds (13) 18
Tries: Doherty, Briggs
Con: Ross
Pen: Ross
DG: Ross

Newcastle (8) 18
Tries: Harris, Shaw
Con: Burke
Pens: Burke (2)

A late Matthew Burke penalty snatched a draw for Newcastle but failed to keep his side's Powergen Cup hopes alive.

A resurgent Leeds looked set for victory after tries by David Doherty and Tom Biggs gave them a three-point lead with just three minutes left.

But Burke landed a penalty from the halfway line to take his points tally for the game to eight.

The Australian had a chance to seal an unlikely win at the death but was off target with a tough, touchline penalty.

Burke put the Falcons ahead in the second minute with a penalty before Gordon Ross equalised after 12 minutes.

Leeds, however, took the lead when 18-year-old scrum-half Danny Care paved the way for Ross to put Doherty through for the score.

Ross converted to make it 10-3 - and the advantage became 8-8 in the 54th minute when Biggs, back from an ankle injury, pounced on a Ross kick over the line.

Ross was less accurate in the second half, missing a conversion and later a penalty.

He was left to rue those misses when Dave Walder sent Joe Shaw over.

Burke converted and then added the penalty to wrap up the draw.

Leeds director of rugby Phil Davies:
"I'm pleased. We've had a great week in terms of coaching and to finish like this is pleasing.

"We can take a lot of positives from this. We had 10 Yorkshire men on the field, we started with eight and three came on.

"That's a bit of a milestone for the club and gives us encouragement."

Newcastle director of rugby Rob Andrew:
"The re-start was a problem and some of our execution was sloppy.

"We looked a little bit tired throughout the match, which is a reflection of the win on Sunday.

"It was a tough match especially on the back of last week. We had a kick at goal in the end which could have given us victory but these things happen."

Leeds: Doherty; Rock, Vickerman, C Jones, Biggs; Ross, Care; Cusack, Bulloch, Isaacson; Myall, Hooper; Thomas, Hyde, Reid.
Replacements: Bell for Jones (52), Murphy for Hooper (52), Kerr for Hyde (41), Dunbar for Reid (52), McMillan for Kerr (67).
Not Used: Paul, Vasey.

Newcastle: Burke (capt); Hoyle, Noon, Mayerhofler, Shaw; Flood, Grindal; Ward, Long, Morris; Perry, Parling; McCarthy, Harris, Smithson.
Replacements: Walder for Flood (51), Paoletti for Ward (40), Thompson for Long (40), Buist for Perry (51), Finegan for McCarthy (74), Jarvis for Smitson (56).
Not Used: Phillips.

Att: 12,500

Ref: Wayne Barnes (England).