Round 24 of the Betfred Championship kickstarted with a compelling Toulouse victory on home soil against Halifax Panthers.
Then, on Sunday, Barrow Raiders took a step closer to securing Championship safety as they hosted Cumbrian rivals, Whitehaven, in what was a must-win game for both sides.
It was the hosts who came out on top, however, with former Haven winger Andrew Bulman coming back to haunt his former club by scoring two of the Raiders’ five tries.
Action live on The Sportsman did not disappoint as York Knights pushed Wakefield Trinity all the way at the DIY Kitchens Stadiums. There was little to separate the two sides in the first forty – Max Jowitt, Luke Gale and Jermaine McGillvary were on the scoreboard for Trinity through some impressive attack, while Brad Ward crossed in the corner for the Knights.
A huge defensive battle then unfolded in the second half, with Derrell Olpherts the only player to touch down.
Batley came close against Bradford at Bartercard Odsal. The Bulldogs were trailing 16-10 before George Senior came up with a swift score, giving his side the opportunity to go level.
But with a wide conversion attempt, it was the Bulls who acquired the two points.
Sheffield Eagles stunned Featherstone Rovers to finally return to winning ways in Round 24. The Eagles had lost their last five matches, but a strong performance with a Ben Jones-Bishop score in each half would spur the team to victory.
This result also sees the Eagles climb as high as fourth, with Featherstone slipping down to seventh place ahead of the penultimate round.
Doncaster then caused Widnes a shock when they emphatically defeated their opponents to make it two superb wins on the spin, and Swinton held on to defeat Dewsbury, despite being reduced to just 11 men in the second half.
Betfred Championship Round 24 results:
Toulouse Olympique 38 Halifax Panthers 18
Barrow Raiders 34 Whitehaven RLFC 14
Wakefield Trinity 20 York RLFC 14
Bradford Bulls 16 Batley Bulldogs 14
Featherstone Rovers 6 Sheffield Eagles 20
Doncaster RLFC 30 Widnes Vikings 14
Dewsbury Rams 16 Swinton Lions 28
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: Sheffield Eagles
