Gaskell is an Ireland international

Widnes winger Dean Gaskell says the Vikings gave up possession too easily in their 25-24 defeat by Batley in the Northern Rail Cup final on Sunday.

Widnes led 24-12 with 12 minutes remaining before Batley scored two late tries to lift the trophy.

"I didn't think we had it won, but we just kept giving the ball back," Gaskell, 27, told BBC Radio Merseyside.

"You can't do that against anybody but if you do it against a quality side like Batley, you're going to lose."

He continued: "If we didn't give the ball back, they wouldn't have had an opportunity to score. We gave them an opportunity and they took it.

"It's my first loss in a final, so I have to take it on the chin and try to come back next year. But we've got the play-offs this year to look forward to now."

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