The final round of the Betfred Championship saw an entertaining end to the 2023 regular season.
On Saturday, Featherstone Rovers received the League Leaders Shield aft their home victory against the Widnes Vikings. James Ford’s side ended the season 12 point ahead of second place Toulouse.
Featherstone will head into the play-offs with a 62-10 victory under their belts. Joey Leilua scored a hat-trick during the 11 try success.
Toulouse will also head into the play-offs with a victory as they travelled the Cumbria to face Whitehaven.
The fixture was a crucial one as Haven needed to put their best foot forward in order to stay in the Betfred Championship.
Despite losing 26-16, Whitehaven avoided the drop due to results elsewhere. Olly Ashall-Bott scored on his return from injury, the full-back capitalised on an error before racing 90 metres to score.
The final game on Saturday saw Batley defeat Newcastle Thunder. The victory kept Batley’s hopes of reaching the play-offs alive, however, results on Sunday saw them miss out.
Thunder went into half-time with an 18-12 lead, but Craig Lingard’s side scored 20 unanswered second half points to end the season with a victory.
York Knights continued their good form which saw them finish the season in 6th place. The Knights won their 10th match out of the last 11 which has seen them rise up the table.
Andrew Henderson’s side travelled to Barrow, where they beat the Raiders 31-18 which included an acrobatic score by AJ Towse.
Halifax Panthers were a side who slipped out of the play-offs after they lost at home to Swinton Lions. The victory for the Lions secured their place in the Betfred Championship in 2024.
Allan Coleman’s side trailed early on, however, a strong end to the half saw them take a 18-4 lead at the break. Both sides traded a try each in the second half.
Keighley Cougars were relegated to Betfred League One after losing at London Broncos. The Cougars were promoted as League One Champions last season.
Dean Whare and Iless Macani both scored braces in the capital. The victory will see London face Sheffield next weekend in the play-offs.
Sheffield dropped down down to fourth after losing at home to Bradford Bulls in front of the Viaplay cameras.
A late Jordan Lilley drop goal saw Bradford end the regular season in third, the highest finish to a season in eight years.
Results
- Batley Bulldogs 32-18 Newcastle Thunder
- Whitehaven 16-26 Toulouse
- Featherstone Rovers 62-10 Widnes Vikings
- Barrow Raiders 18-31 York Knights
- Halifax Panthers 12-22 Swinton Lions
- London Broncos 24-16 Keighley Cougars
- Sheffield Eagles 16-17 Bradford Bulls
