BARROW RAIDERS 0 LEEDS RHINOS 78
LORRAINE MARSDEN, Northern Competitions Stadium, Sunday
FRESH from her England debut last Saturday, Lucy Murray returned to league action with a hat-trick of tries as Leeds eased to victory over an understrength Barrow.
Ebony Stead also crossed three times, with Evie Cousins and Liv Whitehead both scoring twice as Leeds opened up a five point gap between themselves in fourth and fifth-placed Huddersfield.
After holding firm for the first 13 minutes, Barrow’s defence finally broke as Murray crashed over on the left, before adding a second five minutes later.
Mel Howard missed both conversions before leaving the field early due to injury, with Ruby Walker taking over the kicking duties. The young half back added her first of six successful goals after Ebony Stead spotted a gap to dove over for Leeds’s third try inside a nine minute spell.
Evie Cousins, Whitehead, Shannon Brown, and Stead again crossed before the break for a 36-0 lead.
The Rhinos started the second half where they’d left off, with Whitehead crossing for her second just two minutes after the restart.
Izzy Northrop, Walker, and Murray all crossed before play was held up for sometime due to an injury to Barrow’s Kerrie-Ann Smith.
Once play resumed, the final quarter of an hour saw further tries for Sophie Nuttall, Stead, Ruby Bruce and Cousins. Three of these final four scores were converted by Tally Bryer – the Rhinos’ third kicker of the day.
RAIDERS: 5 Chloe Capstick, 18 Fran Harley, 11 Emily Stirzaker, 4 Claire Hutchinson, 23 Hannah Thompson, 6 Kerrie-Ann Smith, 7 Beth Pattinson, 3 Maddie Neale, 9 Beth Lindsay, 10 Jodie Morley, 12 Leah Clough, 1 Vanessa Temple, 13 Nicole Stewart. Subs: 22 Jodie Crawford, 15 Leah Cottier, 2 Shannon Parker (not used), 14 Mia Dobson
RHINOS: 2 Ebony Stead, 18 Liv Whitehead, 4 Evie Cousins, 5 Sophie Nuttall, 24 Tally Bryer, 6 Mel Howard, 7 Ruby Walker, 16 Kaiya Glynn, 14 Ruby Bruce, 10 Izzy Northrop, 11 Shannon Brown, 12 Lucy Murray, 8 Bella Sykes. Subs (all used) 15 Ella Donnelly, 22 Connie Boyd, 23 Frankie Blakey, 27 Jess Sharp
Tries: Murray (13, 18, 62), Stead (22, 37, 73), Cousins (25, 78), Whitehead (29, 42), Brown (32), Northrop (49), Walker (55), Nuttall (67), Bruce (76); Goals: Howard 0/2; Walker 6/9; Bryer 3/4
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-4, 0-8, 0-14, 0-18, 0-24, 0-30, 0-36; 0-40, 0-46, 0-52, 0-56, 0-62, 0-68, 0-74, 0-78
Half-time: 0-36