Round 10 of the Betfred Championship had it all with plenty of high scoring affairs across seven matches…
Wakefield Trinity inflicted a heavy defeat on a struggling Dewsbury side on Friday night. Trinity ran in ten tries to maintain their unbeaten run, as the Championship now comes to a pause for the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final on Saturday.
Toulouse triumphed at The Shay in Round 10 after preventing a spirited second half comeback from Halifax Panthers.
The French side racked up 30 points in thirty minutes, but a flurry of tries from ‘Fax’s Matty Gee, Ed Barber (brace), and James Saltonsall would bring the scores to 24-30 with ten minutes remaining.
Setting up a tense finish, it was all to play for in the closing stages, but the visitors responded with a late penalty and try from Dominique Peyroux to seal a win on the road. The Panthers’ first half performance was ultimately what cost them, despite a valiant effort which would follow.
On Sunday, a recently resurged Batley recorded back-to-back home wins with an impressive victory over Sheffield.
The Bulldogs have now beaten top six opposition two weeks on the spin, but had had to dig deep against Mark Aston’s Eagles in Round 10.
Sheffield had led 4-18 at the break, before Batley quickly overturned the deficit with two quick fire tries from Lucas Walshaw and Michael Ward and level the scores at 18-a piece.
Walshaw’s second try then edged the Bulldogs further in front, followed by a Luke Hooley drop goal and late try from Dane Manning to round off a sensational home win.
Over at the Millennium Stadium, there was an action-packed 80 minutes as Featherstone hosted Swinton.
An exciting try fest unfolded between the two sides as they brought their attacking games in week ten. The Lions led 18-22 in a tight encounter in the first forty, before Fev overtook them to lead 34-22.
Heading into the final quarter, the Lions produced three successive tries to regain the lead but this was short-lived when Connor Jones crashed over from close range to make the scores 40-40.
A penalty was then awarded for Swinton with five minutes left on the clock, as Dec Patton coolly converted to secure his side’s first win on Featherstone’s ground since 2006.
Bradford bounced back with a win over Barrow and keep their place in the top six, while York lost out in a closely fought contest against Widnes.
Meanwhile, there was a thriller in Doncaster when Whitehaven came to the city. Both sides managed to land a drop goal in the final minutes but neither could deliver a match-winner, with the result ending in a well deserved draw.
Betfred Championship Round 10 results:
Wakefield Trinity 56 Dewsbury Rams 0
Halifax Panthers 24 Toulouse Olympique 38
Bradford Bulls 36 Barrow Raiders 24
York Knights 18 Widnes Vikings 22
Featherstone Rovers 40 Swinton Lions 42
Doncaster RLFC 25 Whitehaven RLFC 25
Batley Bulldogs 31 Sheffield Eagles 18
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: Batley Bulldogs
