Championship round-up: Bradford crush Widnes, Featherstone win Yorkshire derby, York leave it late to beat Dewsbury
There were plenty of results which caught the eye in the latest round of Betfred Championship action.
Runaway leaders Toronto continued their excellent recent form with a commanding 40-10 victory away at Batley.
The Canadian side restricted Batley to one score in each half and crossed for seven tries of their own, with Matty Russell, Ricky Leutele and Andy Ackers all crossing twice. Louis Jouffret and Niall Walker scored for the Bulldogs, who remain three points above the second relegation spot.
Toulouse ended their two-game losing streak with a 36-6 win against Barrow.
James Ford’s side had the game all-but-won by half-time thanks to scores in the opening 40 from Tony Maurel (2), Tyla Hepi, Joe Bretherton and Con Mika. James Bell and Paterika Vaivai scored for the French side in the second half, with Luke Cresswell crossing for the Raiders’ only score of the game.
Leigh gave their chances of finishing in the top five a huge boost after claiming a tight 22-18 victory over Sheffield at the Olympic Legacy Park.
Tries from Liam Forsyth (2), Ryan Brierley and Martyn Ridyard looked to have set the Centurions on their way, but tries in the final quarter from Ryan Millar and Ben Blackmore – his second of the contest – set up a nervy finish. However, they could not find another try as Leigh’s superior conversion accuracy proved to be the difference.
York remain in fourth after Matty Marsh’s last-minute try helped them to a dramatic 24-21 victory over Dewsbury.
Having found themselves 14-0 down in the early stages, the Knights came roaring back thanks to tries from Kris Brining, Cameron Scott and Liam Harris. Rob Worrincy’s second of the game brought scores level, before Paul Sykes’ drop-goal looked to have won it. However, Marsh struck with mere seconds remaining to secure both competition points.
In a game with huge ramifications for the top five, Featherstone recorded a 24-18 victory over fellow play-off hopefuls Halifax.
Rovers led 14-6 at the break and extended their advantage after the restart courtesy of Luke Briscoe’s eight try of the season for Fev. A quickfire double from Steve Tyrer with 20 minutes remaining set up a grandstand finish, but Josh Hardcastle scored the decisive try eight minutes from time to inflict a fourth defeat in a row on Fax.
Bradford ensured they remain within two points of the play-offs after blitzing Widnes with an 11-try display at Odsal.
Joe Keyes amassed a 30 points haul after scoring a hat-trick and adding nine goals. Elliot Minchella also crossed three times, while there were further tries for Jy Hitchcox, Brandon Pickersgill, George Flanagan and Ross Oakes.
In the final game of the round, Swinton claimed a high-scoring 36-28 victory over Rochdale at the home of Rochdale Mayfield.
The Lions ran in four second-half tries as they ensured Rochdale remain seven points adrift at the bottom of the ladder. Pierre-Louis Bourrel scored twice on debut for the Hornets, but it wasn’t enough as scores from Scott Moore, Jack Wells, Matty Ashton (2), Mike Butt (2) and Jack Hansen allowed Stuart Littler’s side to record a sixth win of the season.
Championship Round 19 results:
Barrow Raiders 6-36 Toulouse Olympique
Bradford Bulls 62-0 Widnes Vikings
Halifax 18-24 Featherstone Rovers
Rochdale Hornets 28-36 Swinton Lions
Sheffield Eagles 18-22 Leigh Centurions