IN the first round of the Wheelchair Challenge Cup, each tie pitted a Super League side against one from the Championship. The top-flight teams all won their games, with a mixture of results.
The closest encounter was at CASTLEFORD TIGERS, who pushed BRADFORD BULLS all the way before going down 31-28.
Bradford, who were 21-10 up at half-time, played possession football as much as they could, with Keiron Johnson kicking five field-goals, the first to open the scoring.
He actually scored the first seven points of the match as his try and conversion put the score onto 7-0. He added another four goals as the encounter went on. Further Bulls tries came from Nathaniel Wright and Charlie Wanlass.
Castleford’s second-half comeback was led by Charlie Hanson-Sykes, who scored four tries, with Justin Wells adding the other, as well as kicking a goal. Ash Lockwood added two goals with Gary Atkinson and Justin Wells also converting.
In contrast, LEEDS RHINOS beat YORK KNIGHTS by a Challenge Cup record score of 182-10 (92-0 at the break). Every one of the Leeds players scored.
England star Josh Butler went over for 13 tries, with his international teammate Nathan Collins adding four and kicking 24 goals from 25 attempts.
Nathan Clibbens got a hat-trick of tries and a goal, with Becky Wilkinson also scoring three tries. Nathan Mulhall scored two and a goal, with try braces also coming from Cam Hills, Tristan Norfolk and Wales captain Jodie Boyd-Ward.
There was some celebration for the Championship side early in the second half after a John Berriman try made it 98-4, while later in the game, Seb Mountain converted his own score.
WIGAN WARRIORS scored 48 second-half points to overcome the challenge of NORTH WALES CRUSADERS at Wrexham.
The Super League side were just 16-3 up at half-time, but the floodgates opened after the break, as they ran out 64-13 winners.
England international Jack Heggie led the way with five tries and nine goals, with Ireland’s Toby Burton-Carter scored three tries and a goal. Ireland player-coach Phil Roberts also went over for one, with his son Nathan Roberts getting a brace.
Matthew Turner scored a try and two goals for Crusaders, Lucie Roberts went over once, with Harry Mitchell-Jones hitting over a field-goal.
LONDON ROOSTERS easily saw off visitors WAKEFIELD TRINITY, winning 88-20 with Jason Owen racking up a half-century of points thanks to his seven tries and eleven goals.
Jack Linden managed a hat-trick of tries plus one conversion. Captain Lewis King and debutant Ellie Cockerton each scored a brace of tries, with Joe Coyd and Mo O’Brien scoring one each.
Vicky Brooks and Will Brooks each got a try and a goal back from Wakefield, with April Brooks and Jack Johnson also going over.
HULL FC had no problems in beating GRAVESEND DYNAMITE, winning 80-16. Nathan Sherwood led the way with five tries.
Billy Swainger and Josh Edwards each scored a hat-trick, with Steve Sampher, Liam Stancliffe, Kev Edwards and Martin Norris going over once. Karl Shepherd kicked seven goals with Edwards adding three.
Gravesend’s tries came from Reuben Bunning, Matthew Haswell and Michael Grant, with Dan Grant converting twice.
There was also a large win for EDINBURGH GIANTS, with all of their scorers coming from Scotland internationals, as they won 70-10 away at ROCHDALE HORNETS.
Calum Davidson racked up nearly half of the points total with his four tries and nine goals. Hamish Douglas managed two tries and two goals. Sarah Devlin and Arran King each went over for a brace of tries, with Dave Hill and Mark Robertson scoring one each.
Marley Bellamy replied with two tries for Rochdale with Kyran Holt kicking a goal.
SHEFFIELD EAGLES won 76-32 at home to MIDLANDS HURRICANES, doing the damage in the first half as they stormed into a 42-4 lead at the break.
Ben Simpson led the way with three tries and seven goals, with Luis Domingos and Chris Haynes crossing for four tries each. Sid Ramsey, Nash Jennings and Joe Wink-Simmonds each scored a try, with the latter also landing a conversion.
Midlands replied with a first-half try from Ireland A captain James McCarthy, who flew in from Dublin earlier in the morning. Their second-half response was led by fellow Ireland stalwart Pete Johnston, who scored three tries and four goals. Seb Groves and Alan Sheriff also crossed.
In the final match of the weekend, HALIFAX PANTHERS beat BATLEY BULLDOGS 99-18.
The visitors never gave up, and gave a far better performance after being 67-6 down at the break.
Three Halifax players, Finlay O’Neill, Jack Brown and Cian Horgan went over for try hat-tricks, while Joseph Calcott, Jordan Holt and Jack Stockton all scored twice, with Rob Hawkins and Tom Martin each going over once. O’Neill converted eight times and Hawkins five.
The Panthers also hit over five field-goals, the first coming from Brown just before the break, with O’Neill adding three and Hawkins one late in the game.
Batley’s tries came from Adam Bingham, Paul Horobin and James Clough, with the latter converting each.
Results
North Wales Crusaders 13 Wigan Warriors 64
Castleford Tigers 28 Bradford Bulls 31
York Knights 10 Leeds Rhinos 182
Rochdale Hornets 10 Edinburgh Giants 70
Hull FC 80 Gravesend Dynamite 16
London Roosters 88 Wakefield Trinity 20
Sheffield Eagles 76 Midlands Hurricanes 32
Halifax Panthers 99 Batley Bulldogs 18