SAINTS SWEEP GIANTS ASIDE
ST HELENS 62
HUDDERSFIELD GIANTS 0
DAVE PARKINSON, Totally Wicked Stadium, Sunday
ST HELENS blasted back to winning ways in the Betfred Women’s Super League, registering 12 tries against an overworked, if at times plucky Huddersfield Giants.
From the very first set, when outstanding halfback Beth Stott kicked into the corner for Amy Hardcastle to chase through ahead of visiting fullback Holly Waddington, there was a sense of purpose about the hosts who had lost their previous two league games.
Spirited play by the Giants took them close on a couple of occasions but Frankie Townend was stopped while another wide ball was well defended.
It was to prove a busy afternoon for Saints Leah Burke, who eventually finished with four tries. She scored her first from the soft hands of Amy Hardcastle after 12 minutes and the Giants provided stubborn resistance until another great kick from Stott was fumbled under pressure by Hannah Goddard and Jodie Cunningham was quickest to react. Zoe Harris goaled to make it 14-0, but any hopes the Giants then had, ran away from them when Shona Hoyle’s third touch off the bench resulted in her beating seven players to the goal-line over 40 metres. She burst past four initially and then used a variety of footwork and strength to beat three more defenders.
Saints finished the first half strongly with a well-worked effort from Naomi Williams before Carrie Roberts bamboozled the defence with brilliant footwork as she danced infield and beat seven players on her way to four points. Beth Stott, having taken over kicking duties, converted the two tries to make it a 30-0 advantage at the break.
Early in the second half, Huddersfield again enjoyed a weight of possession and looked more lively with Bethan Oates and Bella Sykes seeing more of the ball but when they went wide from a scrum, Burke kept herself square and intercepted to glide fifty metres to the line. Good work between Rebecca Rotherham, Stott and Harris paved the way for Williams second try after 58 minutes before Hardcastle claimed a customary strong running second try and Roberts also burst through for her second to take Saints beyond the half-century and, as confidence drained for Huddersfield, it surged in St Helens.
Burke proved the main beneficiary, with two late tries taking her tally to four. Hardcastle provided the first as Saints attacked from a scrum, then in the final minute, a brilliant wide kick from Stott was planted acrobatically by the former gymnast. Stott finished with six goals as Saints found their winning form once more.
GAMEBREAKER: Shona Hoyle’s blockbusting try in the first half put Saints in a commanding position.
GAMESTAR: Beth Stott was very influential passing well, linking superbly with Zoe Harris, creating three tries and kicking six goals.
SAINTS
1 Becca Rotherham
19 Rachael Woosey
4 Amy Hardcastle
3 Carrie Roberts
5 Leah Burke
6 Zoe Harris
15 Beth Stott
20 Isabelle Rudge
9 Tara Jones
10 Channy Crowl
14 Naomi Williams
12 Emily Rudge
13 Jodie Cunningham
Subs (all used)
22 Shona Hoyle
17 Eboni Partington
21 Alice Sandham
16 Darcy Stott
Tries: Hardcastle (2, 63), Burke (12, 44, 76, 79), Cunningham (23), Hoyle (29), Williams (33, 58), Roberts (39, 65)
Goals: Harris 1/4, B Stott 6/8
GIANTS
1 Holly Waddington
25 Hannah Goddard
18 Albany Coates
4 Erin Stott
5 Amelia Brown
6 Frankie Townend
7 Becky Grady
16 Sienna McPherson
9 Bethan Oates
19 Amie Walker
20 Lois Naidole
12 Elle Thompson
22 Bella Sykes
Subs (all used)
23 Tyla Naidole
10 Hollie Dhurmea
26 Cheyney McCarthy
28 Molly Davidson
Rugby Leaguer & League Express
Women of the Match
Saints: Beth Stott
Giants: Frankie Townend
Penalty count: 2-3; Half-time: 30-0
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 14-0, 18-0, 24-0, 30-0; 36-0, 42-0, 48-0, 52-0, 58-0, 62-0
ROUND UP
LEEDS RHINOS backed up their impressive win over St Helens last time out with a 48-12 victory over WIGAN WARRIORS.
The nine-try success keeps the pressure on York City Knights at the top of the table, with all sides now having played each other.
Zoe Hornby kept up her impressive start to the season with a hat-trick. Her first came when she beat two Wigan defenders to crash over and open the scoring after just six minutes. Courtney Winfield-Hill was on target with the conversion, as she was less then ten minutes later when Caitlin Beevers crossed on the left-hand side.
After Wigan hit back through Anna Davies, Hornby crashed over for her second with little over the first quarter gone. Sophie Robinson and Hanna Butcher added further tries before the break, with two more Winfield-Hill goals making it 28-6.
Leeds regathered a short kick-off as the side re-emerged after the break and worked the ball out left to Beevers, who crossed for her second, before Mary Coleman pulled one back for Wigan.
Hornby crossed for her third on 52 minutes and then turned provider when her offload found Elle Frain, who dived over to score.
Beevers completed her own hat-trick soon after to finish the scoring.
WARRINGTON WOLVES extended their lead at the top of the Group Two table to two points with an emphatic 72-0 win over LEIGH MINERS RANGERS.
The Wolves ran in 14 tries in a game that was essentially all over at the break as a hat-trick from Sammi Simpson plus tries from Michelle Davis, Armani Pitt, Dani Bound and Georgia Sutherland, along with three conversions from Davis, put the hosts 34-0 up.
There was no respite in the second half for the Super League newcomers with further Wolves tries coming from Sutherland, who also ended with a hat-trick, Davis, Lauren Roberts, Emily Baggaley, Claire Mullaney and Kacey Haley. Another five goals from Davis completed a big victory.
BARROW RAIDERS extended their winning run to four games with an 18-14 success over BRADFORD BULLS at Odsal.
The visitors were 12-0 up within the opening quarter of an hour thanks to tries from Michelle Larkin and Vanessa Temple, both converted by Jodie Litherland.
But the Bulls hit back on the 30-minute mark when a solo effort from Claire Collins saw her dart over to reduce the arrears, with Amy Boardman adding the goal to make it 12-6 at the break.
In a close second half, the Bulls looked to have pulled themselves back into the game even further when Jess Hopkins slid in at the corner, but the conversion was missed and the Raiders held a narrow lead.
That advantage was extended when Hannah Sherlock touched down, and Litherland added her third goal of the day.
Ellena Powell cross for Bradford with just a few minutes left, but with the conversion missed and the clock ticking down, the Bulls ran out of time and Barrow returned to Cumbria victorious.
WAKEFIELD TRINITY picked up their first win of the season with a narrow 8-4 victory over CASTLEFORD TIGERS.
When the sides met in the opening group game of this year’s Challenge Cup, Trinity ran out 32-10 winners, but this encounter was an altogether closer affair with just three tries scored at the Be Well Support Stadium.
Both teams saw chances come and go in the opening half hour, but it took until five minutes before the beak until the deadlock was finally broken.
Nat Romano powered through the Tigers defence to score, before Cassy Lawson doubled Trinity’s lead just moments later to make it 8-0 at the break.
The second half was just as close, but the Tigers eventually got some reward for their endeavour when Kaitlin Varley hacked forward a Tally Bryer kick, before regathering and touching down.
In last weekend’s late game, WARRINGTON WOLVES ran in ten tries as they ended BRADFORD BULLS’ three-game winning run with a 54-0 success at Odsal.
The match was all but over at the break thanks to tries from Dani Bound (two), Amy Daniels, Charlotte Foley, Sammi Simpson and Georgia Sutherland, all successfully converted by Foley to make it 36-0.
Bound completed her hat-trick after the restart, with further tries coming from debutant Lauren Roberts, Georgia Westwood and Sutherland alongside one more conversion from Foley.
+++++++
SATURDAY 2nd JULY
Betfred Women’s Super League South
Cardiff Demons 94 Oxford Cavaliers 0
SUNDAY 3rd JULY
Betfred Women’s Super League Group One
Wigan Warriors 12 Leeds Rhinos 48
Warriors: T – A Davies, Coleman; G – Wilson 2
Rhinos: T – Hornby 3, Beevers 3, Robinson, Butcher, Frain; G – Winfield Hill 6
Half-time: 6-28
Warriors: Georgia Wilson; Kaitlin Hilton, Anna Davies, Gabi Leigh, Kerrie Evans; Beth Hayes, Carys Marsh; Jade Gregory, Emma Dwyer, Holly Speakman, Mary Coleman, Georgia Lake, Cerys Jones. Subs: Abbie Singleton, Freya Hellin, Sinead Doria, Emma Davies.
Rhinos: Fran Goldthorp; Sophie Nuttall, Hanna Butcher, Caitlin Beevers, Sophie Robinson; Sam Hulme, Courtney Winfield-Hill; Dannielle Anderson, Keara Bennett, Emma Lumley, Chloe Kerrigan, Adaoha Akwiwu, Zoe Hornby. Subs: Aimee Staveley, Beth Lockwood, Elle Frain, Ella Johnson.
Betfred Women’s Super League Group Two
Bradford Bulls 14 Barrow Raiders 18
Bulls: T – Collins, Hopkins; G – Boardman
Raiders: T – Larkin, Temple, Sherlock; G – Litherland 3
Half-time: 6-12
Bulls: Cara Cookland; Lily Williams, Katie Whelan, Ellena Powell, Hollie Burton; Millie Bell, Amy Boardman; Alice Fisher, Evie Kilburn, Abigail Pinder, Jess Hopkins, Jess Harrap, Ebony Haley. Subs: Claire Collins, Kirstie Musgrave, Olivia Sykes, Beth MacMillan.
Raiders: Michelle Larkin; Christina Tully, Sarah Wilkinson, Emily Stirzaker, Sam Norman; Demi Fisher, Jodie Litherland; Hannah Sherlock, Beth Lindsay, Kelly Friend, Claire Hutchinson, Vanessa Temple, Kerrie Ann Smith. Subs: Mia Dobson, Leah Cottier, Louise Clarke, Kate Birchall.
Wakefield Trinity 8 Castleford Tigers 4
Trinity: T – Romano, C Lawson
Tigers: T – Varley
Half-time: 8-0
Trinity: Amy Bennett; Brooke Price, Megan Preston, Lucy Cochrane, Olivia Cummins; Saskia Lewis, Abby Price; Grace Firth, Abbie Millward, Nat Romano, Ellie Brown, Rachel Eastwood, Lara Dalby. Subs: Sophia Liu, Cassy Lawson, Leonie Lawson, Millen Downs.
Tigers: Courtney Evans; Grace Dyke, Anne-Marie Sayle, Kaitlin Varley, Chelsi Merritt; Tally Bryer, Abby Cromack; Steph Spence-Hirst, Olivia Riding, Laura Stanworth, Martha Brown, Maisie Lumb, Chloe Smith. Subs: Tahnee Holmes, Olivia Hill, Alice Iwanejko, Maddison Rainey.
Warrington Wolves 72 Leigh Miners Rangers 0
Wolves: T – Davies 2, Pitt, Simpson 3, Bound, Sutherland 3, Roberts, Baggaley, Mullaney, Haley; G – M Davis 8
Half-time: 34-0
Wolves: Michelle Davis; Sammi Simpson, Emily Baggaley, Georgia Sutherland, Abigail Johnston; Charlize Magraw, Lucy Eastwood; Armani Pitt, Dani Bound, Amy Johnson, Katie May William, Kacy Haley, Georgia Westwood. Subs: Emily Downs, Lauren Roberts, Cat Davies, Claire Mullaney.
Rangers: Kirsty Millington; Olivia Boyham, Mackenzie Taylor, Charlotte Hill, Grace Morey; Rachael Ogden, Mairead Quinn; Rebecca Owen, Kate Howard, Victoria Rosevere, Keli Morris, Robyn Bell-Soppelsa, Ellise Derbyshire. Subs: Genna Banks, Lucy Johnson, Isobel Pickering, Abbie Gregory.
Betfred Women’s Super League South
Bedford Tigers 22 London Broncos 40
Late result
SUNDAY 26th JUNE
Betfred Women’s Super League Group Two
Bradford Bulls 0 Warrington Wolves 54
Wolves: T – Bound 3, Daniels, Foley, Simpson, Sutherland 2, Roberts, Westwood; G – Foley 7
Half-time: 0-36
Bulls: Emily Heaps; Lily Williams, Bailey Alexander, Jamie-Leigh Scott, Hannah Donlad; Millie Bell, Cara Cookland; Alice Fisher, Evie Kilburn, Hermani Grace, Amy Boardman, Jess Harrap, Ebony Haley. Subs: Ellena Powell, Ellen Strafford, Claire Collins, Beth McMillan.
Wolves: Sammi Simpson; Abigail Johnston, Georgia Westwood, Georgia Sutherland, Charlize Magraw; Lucy Eastwood, Charlotte Foley; Amy Johnson, Dani Bound, Cat Davies, Kacy Haley, Katie-May Williams, Amy Daniels. Subs: Grace Ramsden, Fern Davies, Lauren Roberts, Claire Mullaney.
FORTHCOMING FIXTURES
SATURDAY 9th JULY
Betfred Women’s Super League South
Cardiff Demons v Bedford Tigers Women 14:00
SUNDAY 10th JULY
Betfred Women’s Super League Group Two
Warrington Wolves v Castleford Tigers 12:00
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