The Championship Chat: Round 10

Correspondent

Want proof of the unpredictability of the Kingstone Press Championship? Look no further than the some of the results from round 10, mainly the ones with Swinton and Oldham involved.

Lions and Roughyeds shock Championship stalwarts
Swinton and Oldham, the most recent sides to be promoted from League 1, showed their worth as teams of the second tier by beating Halifax and Sheffield respectively last weekend. Swinton, with help from Liam Marshall who scored four tries, managed to conquer Fax in their own back yard. A 38-35 victory will have delighted the visiting fans as they witnessed their team beat the hosts for the first time in 35 years. A brilliant achievement for the Lions, who will now be looking to go from strength to strength which is something Oldham are doing at this moment in time. The Roughyeds proved their win over Batley in round nine was not a flash in the pan as they overcame yet another solid Championship outfit in Sheffield Eagles. Lewis Palfrey kicked a drop goal in the dying embers of the clash to win it for the hosts, who are now settling well in the second tier. It’s been a brilliant week for these two sides while the Cumbrian sides, Workington in particular as they’re bottom of the league with only one win, have been left with some work to do.

London see off Bulldogs in Ealing
It’s like we talk about it after every single London home match but they’re current form at Trailfinders Sports Ground is spectacular. Yet another win for the Broncos last weekend as they beat Batley Bulldogs rather convincingly – 32-8. The hosts were three scores up early in the second half before their job was made easier by Batley prop Tom Lillycrop, who was sent off for a late, and high, tackle on Broncos pivot William Barthau. London didn’t concede in the second half as their defence stayed on top while their attack notched three unconverted tries to surpass the 30 point mark. Things seem to be looking rosy at the Broncos, or have I spoke too soon?

Leigh carry on good form with Whitehaven win

A solid victory for the Centurions at the Leigh Sports Village on Sunday. The current League Leaders Shield holders registered a dominant 60-6 win over Whitehaven. The first three tries of the game went the way of Leigh’s Cory Paterson. The former Salford man has started to show why Head of Rugby Derek Beaumont splashed the cash on him in the off-season. Leigh were 36-0 up at the break and the tie was effectively over as a contest but that didn’t stop them scoring another four tries in the second period. Glenn Riley scored Whitehaven’s lone try in the match. Good work from Leigh ahead of their tough trip to Toulouse in the Challenge Cup later on this week.

Fev hammer Town in Cumbria
Professional and ruthless may just be the words to describe Featherstone’s 52-6 win over Workington at the Zebra Claims Stadium last Sunday. A game which could well have been a banana skin actually turned into a walk in the park. Rovers were 28-0 up at the break and they came close to doubling their tally by the end of the game. The young trio of Kyran Johnson, Bradley Tagg and Jack Ormondroyd have played a lot of minutes for the West Yorkshire side so far this season and they continued to prosper in this tie against the Cumbrians. Workington are having a tough time of it at the minute and they need to start picking up some wins before they become too far adrift of the pack. The role of Jarrod Sammut, who has gone over the whitewash on a number of occasions since signing, is pivotal and he needs to be on form if Town are going to get back on track.

Bradford back to winning ways

Revenge was the dish served up by Bradford against Dewsbury on Sunday. The Rams defeated Bradford in the Challenge Cup earlier on this year but the Bulls were never going to be denied the win this time around as they came out on top 52-18. The work of Kris Welham can not be underestimated in this tie as he notched five tries for the visitors. Bradford were only two points in front at half-time but then ran away with the contest during the second period. The pressure that was under coach James Lowes from the fans may still be there, but this result will have eased a bit of it.