Battling Leeds Tykes miss out on bonus point against Cambridge

Cambridge got the scoreboard moving early with two converted tries, but Tykes’ stand-off Tighe Maxwell-Whiteley kicked a 
22nd-minute penalty to narrow the gap.

A third try for Cambridge extended their lead to 21-3, but prop Dominic Hardman’s 32nd-minute try was converted by Maxwell-Whiteley to make it 21-10 at half time.

Cambridge secured the four-try bonus point with a 52nd-minute try which made it 28-10, but Leeds hit back with converted tries on 57 and 62 minutes from Harry Jukes and Maxwell-Whiteley respectively to close the deficit to 28-24.

But two more tries for the visitors ended Leeds’ hopes of snatching victory, with just one penalty in the final 20 minutes which left them without even a bonus point.

Leaders Hull ran in six tries as they steam-rollered their way to a convincing 40-14 victory at Bournville in National Two (North).

No 8 William Hall scored two tries in the first 12 minutes to get them off the mark, stand-off Simon Humberstone kicking both conversions.

Full-back Reece Dean added a third on 15 minutes, and they secured the four-try bonus point in the 22nd minute with wing forward Greg Jones touching down, Humberstone on target again with the extras as they went 28-0 ahead.

Bournville pulled one back on the half-hour, but Hull weren’t to be denied and in the second half they added further tries from right winger Mike Adlard and flanker Laurence Cowen.

Second-placed Rotherham Titans remain six points adrift of Hull following a 47-17 victory over Loughborough Students.

The win maintained their unbeaten record at Clifton Lane with captain and No 8 Zak Poole scoring a hat-trick of tries, while others came from scrum-half Sam Boxhall, winger Tom Lewis, stand-off Joseph Carlisle and winger George Tucker, while Carlisle also kicked six conversions.

Hull Ionians secured a narrow 21-17 victory over Yorkshire rivals Sheffield Tigers. Winger Sam Wilson and scrum-half Sam Pocklington scored tries converted by full-back Lewis Minikin, but Tigers led 17-14 at half time with full-back Greg Mellor and centre Jamie Broadley touching down and stand-off Mark Ireland converting both and adding a penalty. But centre Josh Britton scored early in the second half, Minikin converting to put Ionians ahead.

Huddersfield came away with a 21-13 victory in another Yorkshire derby, at Harrogate.

Harrogate led 13-7 at half-time with winger Ben Raubitschek’s 33rd-minute try being converted by scrum-half Kit Keith who also added two penalties.

For Huddersfield flanker Harvey Keighley-Payne touched down and inside centre Will Milner converted. But after the break it was all Huddersfield, with winger Sam Nunn scoring a try while Milner added three penalties to clinch the win.

Wharfedale had to be content with two bonus points after losing out 42-37 at home against Tynedale.

Otley remain top of the North Premier table with two league games left after a 33-22 victory at Burnage. The five-try victory leaves them three points ahead of second-placed Preston Grasshoppers.

York were 57-0 winners against struggling Northwich, while Sandal drew 17-17 with Rossendale.

It’s also tight at the top of North One East, with Driffield’s 37-11 win at Morley keeping them top of the table.

But Ilkley have a game in hand and are only one point behind after their narrow 19-15 win at Malton and Norton.