Leeds Rhinos and Batley Bulldogs emerged triumphant tonight in pre-season matches at the BigFellas Stadium and the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium in cold conditions at both grounds.
A strong Rhinos side secured an impressive 0-24 victory over Featherstone Rovers, scoring four tries from Jack Ormondroyd, Matt Parcell and two from Liam Sutcliffe, with Sutcliffe adding four goals.
Leading by 18 points at half-time, the Rhinos were again well served by the creative play of Parcell from dummy-half, although they lost Ormondroyd with a back injury half way through the first half.
Featherstone improved markedly after half-time, holding the Rhinos out until the 78th minute when Sutcliffe scored his second try.
The Bulldogs were too strong for a reserve-grade Castleford Tigers, scoring three tries while playing downhill in the first ten minutes, two of them from James Harrison and the third from Dave Scott. Wayne Reittie scored their fourth try on 15 minutes, giving the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead at that point, with Pat Walker having added two conversions.
The Tigers fought back, however, with tries from Kieran Gill and Dec Sheehan, both goaled by Jake Sweeting to leave the score 20-12 at half-time.
In the second half the Bulldogs pulled further ahead with tries from Alex Rowe, Scott for his second and Brad Hill, with Walker, Dominic Brambani and Roy Southernwood each adding one conversion for a final scoreline of 38-12.
