28 Jul 2022

Betfred Championship Round 21 Preview | Summer Bash

It's over to Headingley this weekend for the Betfred Championship Summer Bash! It's the highlight of the season for many, and a line-up of some real mouth-watering fixtures awaits.

With every game live on Premier Sports, the Summer Bash gets underway on Saturday afternoon with London Broncos up against Sheffield Eagles.

Both sides head into Round 21 in high spirits after impressive wins - the Broncos put in a fine display against Halifax Panthers, running out 38-10 victors. Three wins in five has seen them gain some breathing room from the drop, and they now sit six points ahead of the relegation zone.

Sheffield put an end to their poor run of form with a 64-4 demolition of Workington, with captain Anthony Thackeray grabbing four tries.

It's one apiece between the two sides this season, but the Broncos were victorious in the most recent meeting at the start of the month - a 36-28 win back in Round 17.

The first derby of the weekend will follow - West-Yorkshire rivals Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams clash once again.

Batley are still well-fancied for a play-off spot, but missed an opportunity to climb to third place after a home defeat to Widnes. The Bulldogs boast an impressive record against their long-standing foes, having won six of the last seven meetings between the two sides.

There was a more positive showing from Dewsbury last time out, who landed their first point since April. However, failing to turn a 10-18 half-time lead into two points might leave a sour taste - something they'll be looking to rectify at Headingley.

It’s back-to-back West-Yorkshire derbies, as Bradford Bulls square off against Halifax Panthers in the third game of the day.

After a run of good performances, the Bulls’ form has nosedived in recent weeks – four losses on the bounce that has seen them take a -137 hit on their points difference is certainly cause for concern, and a late-season push for the play-offs now looks unlikely.

A win against rivals Halifax is never a bad day, though, and would guarantee the Bulls support an enjoyable trip on the short journey home from Headingley.

The Panthers will be looking to make amends for an out-of-sorts performance in Round 20, where they had no answer for London Broncos.

Grix’s side remain in third and look nailed on for a play-off spot however, and a win on Saturday would strengthen their grip.

Halifax edged a close encounter at Odsal in Round 8, and will be hoping to make it a double over their local rivals.

Saturday’s action comes to a close with what most would have down as the pick of the round – Featherstone Rovers take on Leigh Centurions in what should be yet another thrilling encounter between the two sides.

There’s been fireworks in all three meetings this season, and that should be no different under the Headingley Stadium lights on Saturday.

Adrian Lam’s runaway train has shown no signs of stopping in recent weeks, as Leigh sit three points clear at the top after a staggering run of form that has seen them put together an eighteen-game winning streak in the league.

Featherstone have turned things around after an uncharacteristic slip in form, and have won their last four – they remain in a comfortable second place, seven points ahead of third.

The sides have already clashed three times this season - Rovers landed the first blow back in Round 2 – a comfortable 28-6 home win set the tone early on, but the Leythers bounced back and have been relentless since.

The Centurions have had the edge in the previous two meetings – they came out on top in the capital back in May, as they were crowned AB Sundecks 1895 Cup winners after a thrilling final.

Clearly, this put a spring in their step - they met a few weeks later in Round 15 when Leigh turned on the style and ran out 32-12 victors. Will Leigh make it three on the bounce against their promotion rivals, or will McDermott’s men bring them back down to earth?

Sunday’s Betfred Championship Summer Bash action kicks off with Barrow Raiders vs Widnes Vikings. The Cumbrian outfit have put themselves in a favourable position in the play-off picture, after winning four games on the bounce – a brace from Tee Ritson last time out helped them on their way to a dominant 30-4 win against Bradford.

After loitering under midtable for the majority of the season, John Kear has injected new life into Widnes – they’ve now won their last five games under the new boss, and have even given themselves an outside chance of securing a play-off spot.

Results elsewhere will of course have to swing in their favour, but being in with a shout is something not many people would’ve expected a few months ago. Can the Vikings keep the pressure on those above?

A Cumbrian derby follows - long-standing rivals Whitehaven and Workington clash next. Whitehaven have plenty of breathing room from the relegation zone, but the job isn’t done yet – two points are a must against anyone at this stage of the season, but there aren’t many fixtures the Haven faithful would rather take maximum points from…

Similarly, Workington have quite a gap to claw back if they’re to avoid the drop, but bragging rights may take priority this weekend – a win against such bitter rivals would be massive for the club.

The fixture doesn’t typically end well for Workington, though – of the last ten meetings, they’ve won two and drawn one.

We bring the curtains down on this year’s Betfred Championship Summer Bash with Newcastle Thunder vs York City Knights.

For Newcastle, they’ll be looking to rectify an underwhelming home performance against Dewsbury last week – they fought back from eight points down but let the lead slip with minutes to go, drawing 24-24.

For much of the season, York were cruising to a play-off spot – they sat in third for a number of weeks, but recently the wheels seemed to have fallen off. It’s four defeats on the spin for the Knights now,

and although they’re still in a relatively favourable position being six points ahead of seventh place, there will be some serious intent to end this dismal run of form.

Betfred Championship Summer Bash - Round 21 Fixtures

Saturday: