Scott Rhodes opened up a gap at the top of the Evening Press/Collier Plant Hire player of the year standings with another top-drawer performance against Featherstone.

But the real winner was loose forward Damian Ball who rocketed up the chart to third after receiving the man of the match award and an extra point from the fans.

Voting was incredibly close from the fans with so many players standing out but after two recounts it was decided Ball and Mark Stewart should get a point each with an equal number of votes.

The four-point haul for Ball sees him leapfrog Danny Brough, Simon Friend and Darren Callaghan with an overall total of 11 points.

It was a close-run thing between Rhodes and Stewart for the two points for second place but it was Rhodes who eventually took them after having a hand in both Nathan Graham and Jim Elston's tries, scoring an albeit controversial drop goal and generally being everywhere.

Stewart's towering effort that included pouncing on Fev full back Jamie Stokes' handling error to hand off for Ball's try, takes him level with Alex Godfrey and Craig Forsyth.

All of which adds up to an incredibly tight conclusion to the April Player of the Month competition. Just one point separates the top two and the winner will be announced before tomorow's kick-off against the Sheffield Eagles.

A framed photograph will be presented to the man of the month by one of the fans who voted during the course of the month, who also gets a pair of VIP passes to the game.

To be in with a shout of meeting one of your favourite players and having your say on deciding the player of the month - and the year - don't forget to register your vote.

You can vote by email to peter.martini@ycp.co.uk or by postcard to Peter Martini, Sportsdesk, Evening Press, 76-86 Walmgate, York, YO1 9YN, including name, address and daytime contact number.

Updated: 11:03 Saturday, May 01, 2004