Halifax still searching for first league win after defeat to Leigh

Halifax 22 Leigh 32

CO-OPERATIVE Championship pacesetters Leigh piled on the agony for win-less champions Halifax with a solid win at the Shay.

Matt Calland’s side, who beat Featherstone to win last season’s Grand Final, have now played four, lost four in the league in 2011.

The visitors dominated not just the opening exchanges but the opening half hour as Halifax struggled to find any kind of foothold in the opposition half.

Leigh opened the scoring on five minutes when the half back Jamie Ellis ran on to prop Chris Hill’s pass to score by the posts, Mick Nanyn adding the conversion.

They almost doubled their lead when the wing Dean McGilvary touched down, only for the try to be ruled out for offside.

But they did make it 10-0 on 19 minutes when the former Salford player Stuart Littler stretched over by the corner flag.

It took Halifax 31 minutes to find a way over the line, the back row Joe Chandler scoring on the left on a rare excursion into Leigh’s half to close the gap to 10-4.

And three minutes before the interval they were level when Australian prop Jim Gannon sent full-back Miles Greenwood scurrying under the posts, Graham Holroyd converting to level at 10-10 by the break.

Leigh regained the lead 10 minutes into the second period, Hill barging over and Nanyn converting to make it 16-10.

After that, the visitors were in complete control, with Steve Maden (2) and Littler scoring match-winning tries and Nanyn converting two of them from the sideline.

Rob Worrincy pulled a score back for Halifax with four minutes remaining, Holroyd adding the conversion.

And Lee Paterson’s injury time try, goaled by Holroyd, gave the home side a bonus point.

Halifax: Greenwood; White, Paterson, Haley, Worrincy; Jones, Holroyd; Ostick, Beswick, Cherryholme, Smith, Bannister, Fairbank. Substitutes: Aizue, Penkywicz, Gannon, Chandler

Leigh: Donlan; Maden, Armstrong, Nanyn, McGilvray; Ridyard, Ellis; Hill, Duffy, Mitchell, Littler, Goulden, Taylor. Substitutes: Thornley, Hopkins, Govin, Mills

Referee: C Sharrad (RFL).

Dewsbury Rams 12 Sheffield Eagles 36

DEWSBURY head coach Warren Jowitt cut a frustrated figure as his misfiring side were well beaten by Sheffield Eagles.

Alex Rowe, Dane McDonald, Jason Crookes, Quentin Laulu-Togagae and Menzie Yere crossed the line for Mark Aston`s men.

Austin Buchanan and Dominic Brambani replied for the hosts.

“It’s a disappointing result for us, but as soon as we scored we allowed them back into the match,” reflected Dewsbury’s Jowitt.

“We showed a lot of determination and character and defensively we were very strong,” praised Sheffield coach Mark Aston.

“There’s a real feel-good factor and to put 30-odd points on a good team shows we are going in the right direction.”

Dewsbury: Wainwright, Smith, Turner, Cosgrove, Buchanan, Blake, Brambani, Hirst, Wandless, Bibb, Spicer, Lockwood, Faal. Substitutes: Menzies, Horton, Wilson, Emblem.

Sheffield: Laulu-Togagae, Finigan, Yere, Crookes, Bergin, Wood, Brown, Howieson, Henderson, Stringer, Szostak, Green, Hirst. Substitutes: Rowe, McDonald, Hepworth, Cording.

Referee: R Laughton (RFL).

Batley Bulldogs 32 Widness Vikings 12

Batley produced a cracking performance to overcome an early setback and leave the Vikings floundering under continual pressure.

The visitors raced into an early 12-0 lead with a superb long-range try from full-back Danny Hulme and a slick touchdown from Richard Varkulis, both converted by Shane O’ Grady.

But the arrival of the irrepressible substitute George Flanagan, playing his first game for the club for two years, made a huge difference.

Within minutes he raced through the defensive line and though held just short had set up the position from where Ian Preece sent an inch perfect chip over the line for wingman Wayne Reittie to pounce on.

Minutes later Preece, showing great skills at scrum-half, capitalised on the ground grabbing moves from forwards David Toothill and Sean Hesketh to slice through, touch down and establish the 10-12 interval score.

But in the second half Batley were simply superb. Their stupendous defensive play denied the Vikings a single challenge at the Batley line while the Bulldogs skillful attacks, orchestrated by Paul Handforth, gave the Bulldogs four more tries.

The first was collected by Flanagan before Handforth and Preece combined to give Alex Bretherton a half chance and he took it in style.

A tremendous run by second rower Dane Manning opened the way for Reittie to get his second touchdown and the hardworking loose forward Ash Lindsay jinked his way past four players to get the final touchdown.

Batley coach Karl Harrison was extremely pleased with the performance. “We had several players who were not really fit enough to be on the field but the way they handled the situation speaks volumes about their courage and commitment,” he said.

Batley: Campbell; Reittie, Walton, Maun, Brown; Handforth, Preece; Smith, Lythe, Potter, Bretherton, Manning, Lindsay. Substitutes: Flanagan, Hesketh, Buttery, Toothill.

Widnes: Hulme; Gardner, Ropati, Ford, Flynn; Thackray, I’Anson; Pickersgill, Coyle, Heckenberg, O’Grady, Leuleai, Allen. Substitutes: Varkulis, Gerrard, Tompkins, Crosby.

Referee: J Leahy (RFL).

Hunslet Hawks 28 Toulouse Olympique 6

PAUL March’s Hunslet Hawks put in a massive defensive effort to get back on the winning trail against an error-strewn Toulouse side who continue to struggle away from home.

Determined to avenge a 50-point Northern Rail Cup mauling at home to Featherstone Rovers last time out, man-of-the-match Stuart Kain put in a sterling defensive shift and proved to be the assassin when he found space for a crucial second-half score on 61 minutes with the match finely balanced.

With Hawks player-coach March sidelined due to groin and shoulder injuries, Danny Ratcliffe partnered Danny Grimshaw at half back, a decision that proved inspirational.

And a Hunslet side showing four changes eased to victory in French Riviera conditions after deflating a 30-minute onslaught from the visitors when they crossed once through impressive stand-off Darren Nicholls.

Toulose spilled the ball at key moments and a double try blast from Hunslet before the break courtesy of substitute Neil Lowe from one yard and a 40-yard dash from winger Richie Barnett proved pivotal to the final outcome.

Hawks came out in the second half re-energised following a pep talk from March and after Kain touched down on the hour a home victory was never in doubt.

David March offloaded sweetly for Ratcliffe to cross before Kear rounded off a morale-boosting performance for home fans with a neat score two minutes from time.

For good measure Kear landed his toughest kick of the afternoon to secure a deserved triumph.

Hunslet Hawks: Kain, Pryce, Haughey, Kear, Barnett, Grimshaw, Ratcliffe, Sullivan, Haigh, Houston, Blakeway, Kelly, March. Substitutes: Clayton, Lowe, Yates, McLocklan.

Toulouse Olympique: White, Payan, Planas, Villegas, Olari, Nicholls, Lewis, Worth, Gigot, Faure, Wynn, Larroyer, Anselme. Substitutes: Corcoran, Maria, Gout, Ormeno

Referee: G Stokes (RFL).