SHEFFIELD EAGLES 62 WEST BOWLING 0
DAN FOWLER, Olympic Legacy Park, Sunday
SHEFFIELD sealed their place in round three with an eleven-try haul against spirited amateurs.
The Eagles will now be rubbing their hands at the prospect of a Challenge Cup rematch against holders Wigan, this time at home. The Warriors were 44-18 winners last year.
Despite the final score against West Bowling, Sheffield certainly didn’t have it all their own way – especially in the first half.
Just three tries, two for James Glover and one for Oliver Roberts, meant that at half-time, coach Craig Lingard would have been warning his side against any complacency.
Any lingering worries for the new boss were extinguished pretty quickly as Sheffield bettered their first-half try tally inside the opening eight minutes of the second.
Overall, eight tries in the second period, all but one improved by Cory Aston, meant the difference between amateur and semi-professional became clear.
The hosts opened the scoring inside ten minutes with Roberts barging over from close range before Aston added the extras.
Glover was next over, with a solo effort directly from a scrum. The centre showed a great turn of pace after weaving past the first challenge.
The former Dewsbury man was at it again six minutes before the interval, this time as a support act with Joel Farrell bursting through the Bowling rearguard. Aston converted for a 16-0 half-time advantage.
Five scores in the first twelve minutes of the second period ended the game as a contest.
A flowing move to the left flank was finished by Matty Dawson-Jones as the hosts looked to put on the burners.
Ben Jones-Bishop was next on the scoresheet in the 45th minute, this one with more than a touch of fortune as his kick forward rebounded straight back to the Jamaica international for a walk-in.
Forwards Roberts and Jack Bussey hit Bowling with back-to-back tries prior to Dawson-Jones completing his brace, those three efforts edging Sheffield towards the half-century at 44-0.
Another flurry of Eagles tries came just after the hour mark.
The first of three within a six-minute period arrived through Farrell as he made sure Evan Hodgson’s break didn’t go to waste.
Next came the hat-trick try for Glover as he combined well with his winger Dawson-Jones to cut open the Bowling defence.
The final four-pointer of the afternoon went the way of Alex Foster as the nippy Corey Johnson broke loose and had the secondrower for company.
Although they didn’t get on the scoresheet, Bowling can certainly hold their heads high as it was a valiant effort against a well-established Championship outfit.
GAMESTAR: Sheffield’s James Glover looked dangerous with every touch and got a treble for his troubles.
GAMEBREAKER: Matty Dawson-Jones’ 41st-minute try certainly laid the foundations for an Eagles barrage in the second half.
MATCHFACTS
EAGLES
2 Ben Jones-Bishop
30 Ryan Millar
3 Kris Welham
4 James Glover
5 Matty Dawson-Jones
6 Cory Aston
18 Jack Bussey
16 Blake Broadbent
9 Corey Johnson
10 Tyler Dickinson
24 Oliver Roberts
12 Joel Farrell
13 Titus Gwaze
Subs (all used)
15 Evan Hodgson
17 Mitch Clark
20 Lewis Peachey
23 Alex Foster
Tries: Roberts (10, 47), Glover (26, 34, 64), Dawson-Jones (41, 52), Jones-Bishop (45), Bussey (48), Farrell (62), Foster (68)
Goals: Aston 9/11
BOWLING
1 Logan Simpson
2 Haydn Spence
3 Jacob Campbell
4 James Fieldhouse
5 Lewis Taylor
6 Liam Darville
7 Harry Williams
8 Nathaniel Light
9 Charlie Barrett
10 Lewis Magson
11 Richard Lumb
12 Aidan Scully
13 Ollie Bartle
Subs (all used)
14 Robert Young
15 Chris Anderson
16 Lewis Galtress
17 Gavin Wilkinson
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Eagles: James Glover; Bowling: Jacob Campbell
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 16-0; 20-0, 26-0, 32-0, 38-0, 44-0, 50-0, 56-0, 62-0
Penalty count: 7-3
Half-time: 16-0
Referee: Andy Sweet
Attendance: 518
