BEVERLEY, who are battling against having to seek re-election through finishing in the bottom two, staged a major upset by toppling second-placed SADDLEWORTH 36-34.
The section’s bottom side gained revenge for the 31-24 defeat at Rangers by battling back from 30-12 down on the hour, clinching victory with an Alex Hardie penalty-goal – awarded ten minutes into injury time for a high tackle 20 metres out, to the left of the posts.
The hosts had recovered, despite the sinbinning on 65 minutes of George Cooke for a swinging arm, with a Joe Rose brace and tries by Tom Burman and Tom Burnett, Hardie adding three goals.
Saddleworth had seemed to have brushed aside a yellow card on 75 minutes by Joe Taira by notching a Harvey Warburton try on 80 minutes, forging a 34-30 lead before Burnett’s reply.
Beverley’s Joe Dudson had converted first half touchdowns by Lewis Miller and Cooke, while Rangers had led through a try and five goals by Connor Whitehead and touchdowns by Jack Bradbury, Taira, Steve Nield and Finn Stewart.
Leaders KEIGHLEY ALBION also lost to a side in the bottom two, MILLOM prevailing 24-12 in retribution for their 34-8 defeat in Yorkshire.
The sides were level at 12-12 at the break but the Woolybacks took the spoils through unanswered tries by Kyle Evans and Jackson Evans, with Lee Postlethwaite adding a conversion and a penalty-goal in a four-goal contribution.
Millom had led 10-0 with the help of touchdowns for Stephen Watson and Tom Askew, while Albion had gone 12-10 ahead through Jacob Cox’s conversions of tries by Chris Clough and Rob Spencer.
BENTLEY are back in pole position, courtesy of an 18-16 victory at MILFORD, who have slipped beneath Millom into the re-election berths.
The visitors, who had prevailed 52-18 in Doncaster, led 18-12 on 75 minutes through a Grant Hill brace, a Ben Sykes touchdown and three Kieran Lewis goals.
Milford almost levelled in the closing seconds but Josh Cawood’s touchline conversion attempt of Jake Heywood’s try drifted wide.
Cawood, who converted touchdowns by Joe Tharme and Max Rooney, had been unlucky to see his field-goal attempt, when the score was 12-12, rebound off an upright.
MYTON WARRIORS have leapfrogged FEATHERSTONE LIONS into fourth spot, courtesy of a 31-12 verdict at Millpond.
The sides were level at 6-6 at the break but the Lions, who had lost 46-10 in Hull, paid dearly for the sinbinning of Liam Kay on 53 minutes for lashing out, although Myton’s Keelan Gregg was yellow carded for a professional foul.
The Warriors were, by the 62nd minute, 19-6 ahead, having registered tries by Nathan Slater and Dec Opie, with Jack Sanderson adding both goals and Slater firing a field-goal.
Sanderson added a touchdown before Sam Millard dotted down for the Lions, with Kay, who had improved Chris Bingham’s opener, kicking his second goal.
Myton, however, closed with Slater’s second try and a fifth conversion for Sanderson, who had improved Ellis Wray’s early effort.
LEIGH EAST beat DISTINGTON 36-24 in a clash of teams targeting play-off berths.
East, who had won 18-16 in Cumbria, led 22-0 on 18 minutes, with Louis Else bagging an early brace, but were rocking at 22-18 early in the second period, the visitors having scored tries through Callum Fox, Jack Speight, Aiden Worthington and Jesse-Joe Parker.
The hosts, though, regained their composure with a Connor Grainey touchdown and second tries for Bernard Aboagye and Cameron Clarke, with James Molyneaux adding his fourth goal.
The last word went to Distington, with Robbie-Joe Worthington darting over and Kieran Worthington adding his second conversion. But it was too little, too late for the Cumbrians.