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Championship

19 Sep 2021

Betfred Championship round-up

Betfred Championship round-up

Whitehaven recovered from a poor start to claim a 36-22 win at Bradford Bulls and clinch the final play-off spot in the Betfred Championship.

London Broncos were in sixth place ahead of the last day of the regular season but their defeat at York City Knights allowed the Cumbria club to leapfrog them following an emphatic six-try victory.

With the top five positions in the table secured, all eyes were on if Whitehaven could triumph at Bulls to put pressure on Broncos but they were 16-0 down at the midway point of the first half.

Tom Walker stopped the rot before Louis Jouffret went over twice while Gregg McNally, Chris Taylor and Lachlan Walmsley grabbed tries in a stunning response where the visitors scored 36 points in a row against a side already in the play-offs.

It ensured Haven did their part of the bargain and although Broncos took an early lead at York through Greg Richards, it was largely one-way traffic after.

City Knights ran in six tries before the London club produced a late fightback but it counted for little as a 32-22 loss saw them let slip of the final play-off spot.

A day earlier Toulouse Olympique continued their 100 per cent record and marked their League Leaders’ Shield presentation with a crushing 82-12 victory at Newcastle Thunder where Jy Hitchcox went over on four occasions.

Featherstone Rovers, who finished second behind the French outfit, also racked up the points before the play-offs with a 78-10 win over Sheffield Eagles on Sunday and Craig Hall went one better than his Toulouse rival with a five-try showing.

Halifax Panthers and Batley Bulldogs complete the top six and it was the latter who edged out the hosts by a 12-10 score with first-half tries by Lucas Walshaw and Jonny Campbell enough to earn bragging rights, but it was Panthers who ended the season in third.

Elsewhere, Swinton Lions and Oldham bid farewell to the division with more defeats. Lions went down 26-16 to Widnes Vikings while Dewsbury Rams beat Oldham 21-14 in what was Liam Finn’s final match with the former Ireland international given a guard of honour.

Saturday:

  • Newcastle Thunder 12-82 Toulouse Olympique

Sunday:

  • Bradford Bulls 22-36 Whitehaven
  • Dewsbury Rams 21-14 Oldham
  • Featherstone Rovers 78-10 Sheffield Eagles
  • Halifax Panthers 10-12 Batley Bulldogs
  • Swinton Lions 16-26 Widnes Vikings
  • York City Knights 32-22 London Broncos