Owen at the double as bragging rights are seized by Huddersfield

Huddersfield took an early lead before Sandal levelled through centre Dave Martin.

However, Huddersfield established an unassailable advantage with centre Ben Mitchell scoring next and fly-half Tom Hodson adding a conversion and two penalties to make the half-time score 18-5.

That was extended by five points in the third quarter through the first of Owen’s tries before Sandal finally pulled one back when scrum-half Max Whittingham crossed and winger Ian Jackson converted.

Owen’s second soon followed to earn a bonus-point and a fifth try, converted by Hodson, took the lead to 35-12. Second-row Austen Thompson scored Sandal’s third, Jackson converting.

Morley narrowly missed out on a point at top-of-the-table Rossendale after losing 27-15. The Maroons matched the opposition try for try until the last minute when a fourth arrived for the hosts.

No 8 Will Smyth had grabbed the first on the half-hour and Karl Bradshaw added the second with a clean take from a cross-field kick. Winger Tom Alderston ran in the third with 15 minutes remaining and Morley trailed by just seven points until Rossendale’s late score.

After a poor first half Beverley came back strongly to secure two bonus points and go down by only a single try to hosts Sale, 31-26.

Tries by full-back Matt Simpson and centre Richard Coskie were converted by fly-half Liam McGovern as Sale took a 14-0 lead with 16 minutes gone, and they extended their lead to 26-0 at half-time with winger John O’Donnell and centre Chris Mayor touching down to secure a four-try bonus, while McGovern added one of those conversions.

But after the break Beverley hit back strongly. First, flanker Joe Pickets touched down and fly-half Phil Duboulay added the extras on 45 minutes, and just after the hour mark centre James Lowe bagged a second which was also converted by Duboulay as they clawed back to 26-14.

Sale extended their lead to 31-14 with O’Donnell again touching down, but Beverley kept in the hunt, and Duboulay scored and converted a try of his own on 72 minutes to bring them to within 10 points. Lowe added his second try in the closing stages, and although Duboulay was wide of the mark with his conversion, Beverley had their double bonus.

A try in the 75th minute from Richard Tafa saw the Bradford and Bingley defeat Waterloo 15-10, but it was a game which should have been in the bag well before half-time as the home side dominated territory and possession but could not convert that into points.

Tafa set up an early score for hooker Eddie Peglau who scored out wide. Tom Bills sliced the conversion wide.

Time and again the Bees appeared to be within metres of the line but no score was forthcoming until the 36th minute when following a Chris Fisher plunge for the line which the referee disallowed, No 8 Adam Malthouse was able to squeeze over.

Playing up the slope and into the elements in the second half, the Bees were hanging on as a penalty, followed by a try by Alec Croft, converted by Freeman Payne, levelled the scores.

Replacement Adam Wellington set up the winning score by Tafa as the Bees edged home.