RAMPANT leaders EAST LEEDS scored less than 70 points in a game for the first time since mid-March, but still returned from HENSINGHAM with a 44-6 victory.
The Cumbrians were, in fact, 6-4 ahead from the twelfth to the fifteenth minutes, Miller Dalton’s conversion of Josh Rogerson’s try countering Kieran Brining’s touchdown.
Otherwise, Easts were relentlessly expansive. Ajay Wilson had a hat-trick, Kane Rilet crossed twice and Jake Normington and George Clarke nipped over, with Luke Littlewood adding six goals.
Two sides hammered recently by East Leeds (THORNHILL TROJANS by 76-0 seven days earlier and CLOCK FACE MINERS 72-10 the week before that) met in Dewsbury – and the longer the game progressed the more the Miners, for whom prop Harrison Rigby was a huge presence, dominated.
With Harvey Roberts, on dual registration from Dewsbury Rams, inspirational at loose-forward, the Trojans nosed in front on 27 minutes with a Sam Ratcliffe penalty-goal and, on the half-hour, went 6-0 up, courtesy of Ciaran Costello’s solo score.
But, as the interval beckoned, Clock Face restored parity when Brandon Lewis twisted over wide out, with Lewis Geraghty adding the touchline conversion.
There was only one side in it in the second period, when the visitors’ Ben Daniels scored a hat-trick.
His first try, six minutes after the restart, was a long-range individual effort which Geraghty improved.
Daniels crossed again four minutes afterwards, Geraghty again adding the extras and, despite Kenny Hughes copping a yellow card on the hour for kicking out, the St Helens outfit posted Daniels’ third try with six minutes left.
Thornhill then had Costello sinbinned for a high tackle before Clock closed the action with a Jimmy Jones touchdown to win 26-6.
NORMANTON’S prospects of staying second didn’t look too rosy midway through the first half of their fixture at HULL DOCKERS, where the relegation-battlers led 18-4.
The Dockers had bounced back from Devon Lucas’s early try with touchdowns to Tim Heil (two) and Danny Suddaby, the latter landing three goals.
Normanton, though, blasted back to 18-16 with tries by Noah Halliday and Sam Butler, with Joe Crossland converting both scores.
A Kallum Birch touchdown gave Hull Dockers a 22-16 lead on 52 minutes but the Knights secured a 32-22 win with unanswered tries for Adam Biscomb, Tim Robinson and Joe Crossland, two of which Charlie Barker converted.
SKIRLAUGH, the only side without a win, were beaten 30-0 at home by promotion-chasers DEWSBURY CELTIC.
The visitors were limited to a Charlie Heaton try and a Jordan Hirst goal in the first half, but notched a Hirst brace, a Bailey Arnold effort and Heaton’s second touchdown in the last 40 minutes, with Hirst making it five-from-five with the boot.
BARROW ISLAND, who had only 14 players, recovered from 12-0 down at ELLENBOROUGH RANGERS to win 20-18.
Elbra led on 16 minutes through Brett Stevenson’s conversions of tries by Rocco Okesene and Andy Ostle but the Island were 16-12 ahead at the interval, Carl McBain and Seth Woodend having crossed, while Sam Jones kicked three goals and Finn Dutton-Rosconie booted a penalty-goal.
Gary Tierney replied on 50 minutes for Rangers, Stevenson’s goal nosing his side 18-16 ahead, but Ian Irvine’s try on the hour proved to be the winner for Barrow Island, for whom Jordan Staffieri had been sinbinned on 22 minutes for a late shot.
PILKINGTON RECS opened and closed the scoring at DRIGHLINGTON with tries by Josh O’Connell and Lewis Caine, Callum Johnson converting the second score.
Otherwise, Drig held sway in a 32-10 success. Luke Broadbent and Rhys Riddiford claimed the Leeds outfit’s first-half tries while Oliver Winfield bagged a brace in the second period, Riddiford grabbed his second score and Aaron Blake dotted down. Mike Sanderson kicked four goals.
