Northern Rail Cup Round-up

A review of all the action from the group game fixtures

Feb 12, 2008 Mark Fullilove

The Northern Rail Cup's 2nd round of group fixtures were played last weekend, with some high - and low - scoring games.

The Northern Rail Cup Group stages are now officially a third of the way through and in the latest fixtures, which took place over last weekend yielded some high scoring - and low scoring - affairs.

Probably the most attractive tie to go to was Widnes Vikings home clash versus Leigh Centurions. Widnes, who were taken over by haulage firm Eddie Stobart in the off-season, were looking to build up some early momentum, while their opponents Leigh, are looking to finish inside the top three of National League One, and see the cup competition as an ideal challenge to win some silverware. The Centurions also featured four ex-Widnes players, which added to the atmosphere.

The half-time score of 2-2 perhaps demonstrated the competitivity of the two sides, however the game sparked to life when Leigh substitute Dave McConnell crossed after 49 minutes. Scrum half Ian Watson then added a field goal to give the away side a 7-point lead.

However, while this added another point to the tally, Widnes still had plenty of time to get back into it, doing just that when Shane Grady was sent over the whitewash thanks to Bob Beswick. But Leigh were out of sight when Mike Wainwright scored with just seven minutes remaining, giving Leigh victory by 15-8.

In other games, Batley won a thrilling game over local rivals Dewsbury by 19 points to 18. Francis Maloney, who was a one time Dewsbury player, scored a try, three goals and a drop goal, to gain the bragging rights for his side.

Featherstone bounced back from a demoralising defeat against Dewsbury last week, to beat York City Knights 40-12. Six different players scored for Rovers, with ex-Castleford full back Tommy Saxton grabbing two out of the seven tries.

Sheffield travelled to the Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster and returned with the three points in a titanic tussle. The Eagles dominated the first half building up a 16-0 lead. Doncaster, however tried to get back into it, but only managed to score the try thanks to scrum-half Luke Gale.

Salford continued their fine start to the season thanks to a 40-12 victory over Oldham at The Willows. Stuart Littler scored an hat-trick, while James Jiminez, Paul White, Jordan Turner and Matt Gardner grabbed the others in the seven-try rout.

Comprehensive list of scores:

Barrow Raiders 28-20 Blackpool Panthers

Batley Bulldogs 19-18 Dewsbury Rams

Doncaster 6-16 Sheffield Eagles

Featherstone Rovers 40-12 York City Knights

Gateshead Thunder 58-6 Hunslet Hawks

Keighley Cougars 40-64 Halifax

London Skolars 10-26 Celtic Crusaders

Salford City Reds 40-12 Oldham

Swinton Lions 34-36 Rochdale Hornets

Widnes Vikings 8-15 Leigh Centurions

Workington Town 18-26 Whitehaven

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