Round fifteen of the 2022 Betfred Championship held one of the ties of the season as the two favourites for the Million Pound game, Leigh and Featherstone, were thrown together for a game at the Leigh Sports Village with top spot up for grabs. But we would have to wait until Monday evening and the Premier Sports live game.
The other six ties were played on Sunday afternoon with an early kick off in the Cumbrian derby between Workington Town and Barrow Raiders. The remainder of the fixtures were three o´clock starts with; Batley against Newcastle, Dewsbury hosting London in a crucial game at the bottom, Whitehaven taking on the Halifax Panthers, York travelling to a beleaguered Widnes and the Bradford Bulls at the Sheffield Eagles.
Workington Town were thrashed again as their awful season continued, this time at the hands of near neighbours Barrow. The game was scoreless until the twentieth minutes when Sammut scored the opening try for Barrow, opening the floodgates. He was followed over the whitewash by Miloudi, Ritson and Stack in the first half for a 22-0 interval lead. The tries kept on coming in the second half with Sammut and Miloudi both completing their brace while Cresswell and Costello both also picked up two tries in a ten try haul which saw the Raiders win by 58-0.
The dogfight at the bottom, seemingly to join Workington in the drop, was fought out between Dewsbury and London. The Broncos got a much-needed win but it wasn´t without a titanic struggle. Knowles had put the Rams ahead before Macani, Foster and Walker put the Broncos into the sheds with a 16-6 lead. Walker added a second just after the restart but two tries in three minutes from Dixon reduced the arrears to 14-20. Hall sealed the win with a try on the hour mark and despite a fourth Dewsbury try from Greensmith the visitors took the points with a 26-18 win.
Batley filled their boots against Newcastle as they cantered to a 58-18 win in a high scoring affair at the Fox´s Biscuits Stadium. Nokes had put Thunder ahead but a Morton try equalised. A Try from Ta´ai on the half hour re-established the visitors lead but Leak scored for the Bulldogs on half time and the sides went in tied at 12-12. A try for Hanley for Thunder grabbed the the lead just after the restart at 18-12 before a forty-six point onslaught from Batley. Second half tries from; Hooley (2), Campbell (2), Morton, Leak, Gilmore and Manning ensured the comprehensive victory.
It ever rains but it pours for Widnes. They may have a new coach but it hasn’t immediately effected their results. The Vikings took the lead in the second minute through Craven but it was a false dawn as Brown responded. Ince added two tries in six minutes after the half hour and Widnes took a commanding 14-4 lead into the sheds. But York were transformed in the second half with a second try from Brown and one from Marsh, the two kicked conversions from Ellis the difference between the sides as the City Knights won 16-14.
Bradford Bulls got an important win over the Sheffield Eagles to climb into the top half of the table. Foggin-Johnston and Johnson had put the Bulls 10-0 ahead before Welham and Thackeray responded to level the scores at 10-10. But as the Eagles thought they would go into the sheds all square, Pickersgill scored for the Bulls on the stroke of half time for a 16-10 lead. Millar added two more tries in the second half and with three two-pointers from Patton it was the Bulls who took the points with the 30-10 win.
A good fightback from Whitehaven gave them some hope after their trailed to an early Tibbs try for the Panthers. Dawson and King scored for the home side and they led by 12-6 at the interval with a potential shock on the cards. But the second half was one-way scoring traffic with Woodburn-Hall, Walmsley and Murray all scoring in the second half to seal a 24-12 win.
We will bring you a full report just after the final hooter tomorrow might in the Leigh versus Featherstone game.
