WIDNES bowed out of the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup at the quarter-final stage with a 36-20 defeat at St Helens.

But the travelling Vikings army could have no qualms about the effort showed by their team in a thrilling tie that was in the balance for most of its duration.

Kevin Brown, Rhys Hanbury and Alex Gerrard, to name but three, put in heroic efforts which might have been better rewarded on another day.

Vikings boss Denis Betts recalled back-rower Hep Cahill and winger Paddy Flynn after lengthy lay-offs.

In the absence of injured dummy-half Lloyd White, Aaron Heremaia started the game at hooker with the versatile Danny Craven getting a place on the bench.

Widnes started brightly and Alex Gerrard was cut down just a yard from the line by a Jon Wilkin tackle after Kevin Brown had opened up the Saints defence.

However, it was the home side who struck first when fullback Mark Percival fielded a Brown kick and sent winger Adam Swift away on a mazy 80 metre run to the posts. Percival's goal made it 6-0 on six minutes.

The Vikings went back up the other end and Chris Clarkson was held up over the line but they levelled things on 16 minutes when Joe Mellor showed great determination to stretch over from close range with Craven, an early replacement for head injury victim Stefan Marsh, adding the extras.

Saints regained the lead with a 35 metre Percival penalty but Widnes were again quickly on the offensive with a James Roby tackle preventing a certain Rhys Hanbury try.

Against the run of play, Saints scored another long range effort when Jordan Turner and Swift combined to send Percival streaking in for a six-pointer.

Unfortunately for Widnes, Hanbury put his restart kick out on the full and from the resulting pressure winger Matty Dawson scored his side's third try on the overlap to give Saints an 18-6 lead.

With three minutes of the first half remaining, Craven crashed over from a Brown cut-out pass on last tackle after a Cahill break had set up the position.

Patrick Ah Van's goal left the game intriguingly poised, 18-12 at the interval.

The Vikings pulled within two points early in the second half when Gil Dudson powered 40 metres upfield and from the next play Brown, clearly struggling with a leg knock, put Ah Van over with a superb long pass.

On 53 minutes, Widnes took the lead for the first time in the match at 20-18 when centre Chris Dean scored against his former club after being fed by Hanbury. Craven resumed the goalkicking duties but failed to land from wide out.

With tension mounting Heremaia spurned excellent field position with a knock-on on first tackle and a controversial penalty given for a ball steal on Turner put Saints on the front foot.

With 17 minutes left on the clock prop Kyle Amor plunged over with the video referee overturning on-field ref Mr Hicks' 'no try' call. Percival's goal put Saints 24-20 in front.

A Chris Clarkson offload that didn't quite go to hand put Saints on the attack again and Turner scored what was to prove a killer try as Mellor and Flynn fell off a tackle.

Widnes still asked questions of the home defence but the Super League champions were determined to hang on to the spoils.

Hanbury was trapped in goal with four minutes remaining and when the subsequent short drop-out attempt didn't travel the required ten metres, Percival knocked over a simple penalty to make it 30-20.

In the last minute, Percival popped up to score the last try of the game which he self-converted to give the final score a lop-sided look.

No Challenge Cup glory for the Vikings, but their fans could be proud of their effort.

St Helens: Percival; Dawson, Jones, Turner, Swift; Burns, Walsh; Amor, Roby, Walmsley, Wilkin, Greenwood, McCarthy-Scarsbrook. Subs: Masoe, Flanagan, Richards, Savelio.

Widnes: Hanbury; Flynn, Marsh, Dean, Ah Van; Brown, Mellor; Gerrard, Heremaia, Manuokafoa, Clarkson, Whitley, Leuluai. Subs: Craven, Isa, Cahill, Dudson.

Half-Time: 18-12.

Referee: R Hicks.

Attendance: 8,806.