Championships Round-up

The RFL have started issuing a press release about the Championships. Here is their latest one:

Co-operative Championship Review


Featherstone Rovers maintained their blistering start to the season with a superb 20-6 win away at Barrow Raiders and are now joint top of The Co-operative Championship with Halifax on nine points.

Six goals from the boot of Kyle Briggs and tries from Jon Steel and Liam Finn helped Rovers to their third consecutive league win. Jermaine McGillvary was the only try scorer for Barrow who are still searching their first league win of the season.

Halifax had gone clear at the top of the table last Thursday night with their 30-28 triumph over Widnes Vikings at the Stobart Stadium. Matt Calland’s men twice came from behind to inflict Widnes’ first defeat of 2010.

Leigh also remain unbeaten in the league after a comfortable 44-12 win over Whitehaven. Ian Millward’s men scored eight tries on their way to victory but only led 12-0 at half-time.

Steve Maden, Dave Alstead, Robbie Paul and Jacob Emmett all scored tries for Leigh as did the Warrington pair of Tryone McCarthy and Matty Blythe who are dual registered with the Centurions.

Mick Nanyn scored a try and kicked five goals while team mate Martyn Ridyard also scored a try and kicked one goal.

Toulouse moved up to fifth in the table with a 34-26 win at home against Keighley. Cedric Gay grabbed a brace of tries for the French side who also saw Clement Bienes, Rory Bromley, Sebastien Planas and Kevin Larroyer touchdown. Nathan Wynn added five goals. The Cougars try scores were Danny Jones, Oliver Pursglove, Gavin Duffy, Chris Baines and James Feather.

Mark Aston’s Sheffield Eagles secured their first league win of the season against Dewsbury Rams.

Tangi Ropati touched down for a pair of tries either side of half-time while also kicking a conversion to lead the Eagles to a 22-10 victory. Mitch Stringer and Dane McDonald also scored for the hosts.

Dewsbury had hoped of pulling off their first league victory since promotion when they trailed 12-10 at half-time through tries from Stewart Sanderson and Patrick Walker. However the Rams failed to score a point in the second half.


Co-operativeChampionship 1

In the game of the day in The Co-operative Championship 1, a late Chris Thorman drop goal proved the difference in York City Knights’ 25-24 victory over South Wales Scorpions.

In a see-saw encounter that saw the lead change hands on numerous occasions Danny Ratcliffe, Joe McLocklan, Brett Waller and Casey Bromilow all scored tries for the City Knights, all of which were converted by Lee Waterman.

Lewis Mills, Gil Dudson, Craig Richards and Steve Parry all crossed for the visitors who now drop to second in the league behind York.

Rochdale secured their second victory of the season with a 32-24 win over Workington Town at Spotland.
After racing into a 24-6 half-time lead, Rochdale had to face a second half comeback from the visitors but hung on to secure victory. Liam McGovern scored a try and kicked six goals for the home side who also saw Craig Johnson, Dean Gorton, Phil Wood and Dayne Donoghue cross the whitewash.

In a close fought encounter at Sedgley Park, Swinton defeated Doncaster 36-30 to move to fourth in the table. Both sides scored six tries apiece in a highly entertaining encounter however it was the boot of Gavin Dodd that was the difference between the two sides. Dodd added six goals whilst Doncaster’s Simon Brown only managed three.

Gateshead Thunder secured their first victory of the season with a hard fought victory over London Skolars.

A hat trick of tries by Jimmy Atkinson and one a piece by Kevin Neighbour and Tom Wilson helped secure Thunder, who lost 100-4 midweek, their first league points of the year. Chad Isles, Matt Thomas and Curtis Cunningham scored for the visitors who fell to their 19th consecutive defeat.




This weekend's results in full were:
CHAMPIONSHIP

Thursday:
Widnes 28 HALIFAX 30

Friday:
SHEFFIELD 22 Dewsbury 10

Saturday:
Barrow 6 FEATHERSTONE 20
TOULOUSE 34 Keighley 26

Sunday:
LEIGH 44 Whitehaven 12

CHAMPIONSHIP ONE:

GATESHEAD 24 London Skolars 18
ROCHDALE 32 Workington 24
SWINTON 36 Doncaster 30
YORK 25 South Wales Scorpions 24