Promising duo sting Bees into life as Harrogate enjoy try blitz

Tom Bills capped a fine-all-round performance by kicking the winning three points as Bradford and Bingley defeated Burnage.

Bills and his half-back partner, Dan Jeffrey, 18, were both on top form and gave a far more assured showing, both consistently taking the right option throughout the game.

The Wagon Lane side still had a nervous couple of minutes of defending to do before they could celebrate their first league victory of the season, but the defensive frailties of last week seemed to have disappeared.

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Quicksilver Jeffrey zipped through the Burnage defence for a fine individual score on four minutes. Bills improved the score and on 13 minutes Adam Wellington crossed out on the left.

Tom Kanouros galloped sixty metres before offloading to Benny Greaves who beat the last defender to score.

Burnage came out for the second period looking the sharper side, scoring 15 points to move three points clear.

Wellington then set up Richard Scull for a fine score before Winney kicked Burnage into a one-point lead.

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The Bees battled back up field and when Burnage conceded a penalty, Bills stepped up to nervelessly slot the winner.

Sandal suffered their first defeat of the season, going down 18-13 at Rossendale despite holding the lead for long periods.

The hosts took the lead but the rest of the half belonged to Sandal. A penalty under the posts by Greg Wood pulled back three points and Sandal led at half-time, Sean Maguire scoring on the overlap.

A second score after the break, when Gareth Newman dummied his way over in the left corner, should have left Sandal in pole position. However, a penalty brought Rossendale back within five points and a try in the final quarter levelled matters.

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In the final 10 minutes a third score for the hosts from a lineout put them in front. Sandal made a last-ditch attempt to seize the lead but, when they looked odds-on to score out wide, the ball went astray and the chance was lost.

Discipline proved to be a key factor as Harrogate defeated Kendal 53-21 in a points-fest.

An early yellow card for Kendal’s Matty Houghton led to Harrogate racing into a 21-0 lead. The score was 53-14 with 10 minutes remaining when Harrogate’s Chris Wilson was sin binned. Kendal took full advantage and scored 17 points.

Pete Wackett used the extra space in Houghton’s absence to score from an initial Rob Almond break. Callum Irvine converted and, shortly afterwards, opened the visiting defence with a brilliant run to put Wackett in for his second converted try. Yet another dazzling Irvine break followed and this time it was Almond who supported to score. When Kendal’s Reece Tomlinson visited the sin bin, a Harrogare penalty made the half-time score 24-7.

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Harrogate’s forwards delivered a stream of good ball from the restart with Max Lewis and Tim Heaton at the heart of everything. Phil Wickham supported Heaton to score but Kendal responded with a driving maul resulting in a try for Billy Coxon.

Jimmy Browne swung the momentum back Gate’s way before debutant James Audsley-Beck set up Mike Aspinall and then got on the scoresheet himself.

Jake Brady finished a forwards move for the hosts’ final try before Kendal’s late flurry.

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