Hull edged ahead of Leeds in the race to secure second place in the engage Super League table after overcoming their rivals in a gripping battle at the KC Stadium.

The pair were tied on 32 points going into the clash, although following this success Peter Sharp's side have emerged as the main challengers to runaway leaders St Helens.

For Leeds coach Tony Smith the situation is somewhat more negative.

Dumped out of the Challenge Cup by Huddersfield last weekend, his men have now lost four straight games in all competitions and not even two new signings could hand his side a boost.

Both Clinton Toopi and ex-Hull man Jamie Thackray made their bow for the Rhinos but neither were able to prevent Hull dominating throughout and posting their 14th win in 15 games.

The home side were able to field Paul Cooke despite the stand-off undergoing two operations in the last fortnight to remove a kidney stone.

Cooke was prominent throughout, although his three missed conversions in the first half meant Hull's half-time lead of 18-6 was slightly flattering for the visitors.

Hull were superb throughout the first 40 minutes, with Sid Domic and Richard Whiting joining Gareth Raynor (2) on the scoresheet.

Raynor was the first to trouble the scoreboard, registering his sixth and seventh efforts against his former side this season.

The first was a regulation finish after the Cooke's pass, the second an opportune effort after the Leeds defence failed to deal with Shayne McMenemy's kick.

Keith Senior responded for Leeds, but Hull edged further ahead before the hooter with efforts from Domic and Whiting.

The former crashed on to Richard Horne's neat pass before the latter used some tidy footwork to dribble his way over the line via a ricochet off the post.

Had Cooke not been so profligate with his conversions then Leeds would have had even more work to do come the start of the second period.

As it was, Scott Donald's try soon after the restart left them just two points adrift, whilst things could have been even better for Smith had he not seen a try chalked off by video referee David Campbell.

Nathan Blacklock's knock-on from Sinfield's kick allowed Ali Lauitiiti to ground, although Campbell ruled Blacklock had been tackled in the air whilst in possession. Video replays suggested otherwise.

To make matters worse for Leeds, Whiting then added his second despite appearing to be offside when setting off in pursuit of Horne's kick.

Cooke again missed the goal, but his timely drop goal on 67 minutes pushed Hull 23-10 ahead.

Campbell then ruled Jamie Jones-Buchanan had knocked on when grounding the ball after Sinfield's kick, but it mattered little as Jones-Buchanan was soon crossing under the posts.

Captain Richard Swain, named man of the match, was outstanding for the home side though and his marshalling of Hull's defence saw them home, as the game ended on a sour note with Thackray the architect of a last-minute brawl.