Round twelve of the Betfred Championship was equally split between Saturday and Sunday fixtures as an avalanche of points on both days contributed to some excellent spectacles. Some 372 points were scored, averaging 62 per game with five sides recording a score of over forty.
The closest winning margin was twenty-two points and the largest fifty-eight and the high scoring wasn’t confined to the Championship with York City Knights overcoming last weekend’s Challenge Cup disappointment recording a record winning score and margin with their 144-0 humiliation of West Wales in their Sunday afternoon Championship One encounter.
Saturdays big winners were the London Broncos who put their recent downturn in form well behind them with a 64-6 victory at home to the Dewsbury Rams. Pitts, Sammut (2), and Davies recorded first half tries for a 24-0 interval lead but they cut loose in the second half with tries from Evans, Lovell, Williams (2), Kear, and Davies getting two more to complete his hat-trick. Sammut kicked a total of ten goals with the only response from Dewsbury Rams being a sixty-seventh Ansell try which was converted by Glover.
Toulouse Olympique XIII also ran out as big winners over basement side Swinton Lions. Ford opened the Toulouse scoring before a Hope converted try and Hankinson penalty actually put Swinton 8-6 ahead after twenty. But the remaining hour was one-way traffic as Toulouse ran in ten unanswered tries. Robin, Kheirallah and Marion gave the visitors a 22-8 half time lead and second half tries from Robin, Maurel, Canet, Kriouache, Ford and two more from Kheirallah to complete his hat-trick. The hat-trick boy also kicked nine goals for a personal haul of thirty points in the 62-8 win.
The Saturday late kick off, in a game played in London, was Toronto Wolfpack against Halifax. Paterson, Kay, Beswick and Ackers all scored for Toronto in the first half before a McGrath try for Halifax reduced the half time arrears to 30-6. Paterson and Kay both added to their own tallies in the second half with the only response being an unconverted Heaton try as Halifax went down by 42-10, Toronto maintaining their spot at the top of the table.
Sheffield Eagles recorded their third win of the season against fellow strugglers Rochdale Hornets. Millar, Brown (2) and Makelim gave the Eagles an 22-0 lead before Mitchell and Brickhill reduced the half-time arrears to 22-10. Hadded, with a try converted by Whittaker made it 16-22 before Ashworth, Fozard and Makelim with his second pulled the Eagles clear for a 38-16 win.
The Leigh Centurions continued their march up the table and took fifth spot off Halifax with a 46-18 win over Barrow Raiders. Hutchinson and Reynolds put the Centurions 10-0 ahead before Bullock struck back for Barrow. Two tries in two minutes, just before the interval, from Bailey and Dawson gave the home side a 22-6 lead at the break. Barrow struck twice themselves after the break through Stack and Carter to get the visitors within four points at 22-18 but a late flurry with four tries in a ten minute spell from Hutchinson (2), Hood and Hall put the game beyond the plucky Raiders.
The final Sunday game was at Featherstone where the home side showed no mercy to Batley Buylldogs as they demolished them by 50-12. Robinson, Briscoe, Hardcastle and Hock all scored first half tries for an 18-0 interval lead. Robinson added a second just after the restart before Scott got Batley’s first on forty-nine. Holmes scored twice, Walters once and Robinson grabbed a third to quell any thoughts of a fightback and put Rovers ahead by 44-6 before Brambini got Batley’s second of the afternoon. Hardcastle completed the scoring for Featherstone as they hit fifty points.
Toronto, Featherstone, Toulouse, and London Broncos sit in the middle eights positions but Leigh Centurions are pushing them hard and Halifax will be looking to strike back next week and keep their challenge alive.
