HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 32 LEIGH LEOPARDS 6
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Laund Hill, Sunday
ENGLAND international Amelia Brown once again proved why she is one of the best try-scorers in the competition – touching down four times within the hour as Huddersfield picked up their second win in three matches.
Bouncing back from last weekend’s 36-0 defeat to Saints, the Giants ran in seven tries as they ended Leigh’s unbeaten start to the campaign.
The game was just five minutes old when the hosts opened the scoring – working the ball from left to right before Brown powered over for her first.
Her second came soon afterwards as she got the ball near her touchline and raced the length of the field to touch down.
With the rain now coming down, both sides were forced into errors and the game started to settle down after the Giants’ quick start.
As the half-hour mark approached, Huddersfield once again passed the ball neatly across the line, with Brown getting the final touch to complete her hat-trick.
It proved to be third time lucky for Sam Hulme, who had missed her first two conversion efforts, to add the extras.
Leigh’s efforts were finally rewarded in the final moments of the first half when Amy Taylor, currently on loan from St Helens, laid the ball off to Charlotte Melvin, who touched down before successfully adding the conversion.
Despite the Giants going down to twelve players early in the second half when Lois Naidole was sin-binned for dissent, Leigh were unable to take advantage and the second half proved to be all Huddersfield.
Back up to the full complement, Brown once again went the length of the field and evaded the attempted tackle of Abi Johnston to bag her fourth and seal the game for the hosts with more than 20 minutes still remaining.
Mollie Iceton added another Giants try twelve minutes later, before Naidole and Ellie Thompson added further scores in the final eight minutes.
Hulme added her second conversion of the afternoon to the final try, wrapping up comprehensive victory.
GIANTS: 1 Amelia Brown, 21 Faye Barraclough, 3 Lois Naidole, 4 Fran Copley, 5 Mollie Iceton, 16 Becky Grady, 7 Sam Hulme, 14 Gracie Hobbs, 9 Megan Preston, 10 Jess Harrap, 20 Amy Bennett, 25 Maddy Hutchison, 13 Bethan Oates. Subs (all used): 23 Grace Burnett, 27 Millie Taylor, 17 Ellie Thompson, 28 Lauren Exley
Tries: Brown (5, 9, 30, 56), Iceton (68), Naidole (72), Thompson (78); Goals: Hulme 2/7; Sin bin: Naidole (45) – dissent
LEOPARDS: 1 Hattie Dogus, 2 Toryn Blackwood, 3 Mackenzie Taylor, 18 Gabi Leigh, 28 Abi Johnston, 24 Amy Taylor, 7 Leah Morris, 8 Eleanor Dainty, 6 Rhianna Burke, 10 Alice Fisher, 11 Storm Cobain, 12 Charlotte Melvin, 25 Emily Baggaley. Subs (all used): 9 Kate Howard, 15 Sam Brazier, 16 Lucy Johnson, 19 Claire Mullaney
Tries: Melvin (39); Goals: Melvin 1/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 14-0, 14-6; 18-6, 22-6, 26-6, 32-6
Half-time: 14-6