Halifax Panthers were impressive in the 2021 Betfred Championship opener on Friday evening as Simon Grix’s side hammered London Broncos 47-14 at The Shay.
The first try of this season’s Betfred Championship went the way of Halifax’s Elliot Morris inside the opening five minutes.
London Broncos’ Josh Hodgson was sent to the sinbin on 17 minutes and the Panthers immediately punished the visitors as Liam Harris sliced through the defensive line and raced under the posts.
Ed Barber furthered Halifax’s lead but Lebanese flyer Abbas Miski ensured the Broncos were on the board before the break. Both Greg Richards and Jacob Fairbank were sent to the sinbin on the stroke of half-time for their parts in an on-field disagreement.
Barber would power over early in the second half to double his account for the evening before new signing Zack McComb scored the first try for his hometown club. The former Oldham halfback would then break the Broncos defence again minutes later sending Scott Grix over.
Fairbank and Conor McGrath also added their names to the scoresheet while Conor Robinson notched a drop-goal on the full-time hooter. Miski scored a second try for London in the second half while Tuoyo Egodo went 80 metres to cross but they were merely consolations for the Broncos.
Elsewhere, Oldham edged out Greater Manchester rivals Swinton Lions 28-20 at Bower Fold.
Swinton took a 10-20 lead into half-time after tries from Mike Butt, Luke Waterworth, Rhodri Lloyd and Jack Hansen. Max Roberts had put Oldham ahead after six minutes while Ryan Ince also went over.
Matt Diskin’s side turned the tables in the second half with Ben Heaton and Tyler Dupree scoring in quick succession to pull the sides level at the 50-minute mark.
With 11 minutes left on the clock, Oldham’s pressure finally paid dividend as Heaton glided through the Lions defence on the right-hand side to seal victory for the Roughyeds.
Featherstone Rovers rounded the opening day of Betfred Championship action off with a 28-18 defeat of Batley Bulldogs.
Towering prop-forward Craig Kopczak got the scoreboard ticking for the Rovers with Kris Welham joining him on the scoresheet midway through the first half.
Batley hit back through Elliott Hall but efforts from Frankie Halton and Nu Brown saw James Webster’s men head into half-time with an 18-6 advantage.
The Rovers would continue their control in the second half with Gareth Gale finishing a well-worked Featherstone move with a flying finish in the corner.
Tries from Lucas Walshaw and Jack Logan improved the scoreline for the Bulldogs, but Junior Moors’ effort between Batley’s second half efforts staved off a comeback.
The Betfred Championship continues with four more fixtures across Saturday and Sunday, all of which are available to watch via Our League here.
Results in full:
Halifax Panthers 47-14 London Broncos
Oldham RLFC 28-20 Swinton Lions
Featherstone Rovers 28-18 Batley Bulldogs
Remaining Round One fixtures:
Saturday 3 April
York City Knights v Toulouse Olympique – LIVE on Our League (4:30pm)
Dewsbury Rams v Whitehaven RLFC – LIVE on Our League (7:30pm)
Sunday 4 April
Sheffield Eagles v Bradford Bulls – LIVE on Our League (12:45pm)
Newcastle Thunder v Widnes Vikings – LIVE on Our League (5:15pm)
Image Credit: Halifax RLFC
