Only Sheffield and Wakefield remain unbeaten in the Betfred Championship following the results of Round 5, as Widnes fell to their first defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon.
The Vikings travelled to face Featherstone Rovers, what was arguably their toughest test yet. Allan Coleman's men found themselves 22-6 down after 43 minutes, as the hosts dominated with tries from Gareth Gale, Brad England, Corey Hall and Brad Day.
It was a tale of two halves, with Widnes rallying an impressive comeback to regain the lead, as Ryan Ince's brace and Danny Langtree's individual effort breathed life into the visitors.
But a late heavy spell of pressure from Featherstone would ultimately tell as Connor Wynne scored two tries in the final seven minutes to seal a 32-24 win - the Rovers going back-to-back.
Meanwhile, Sheffield Eagles enjoyed a comfortable win over Liam Finn's Halifax Panthers, as Cory Aston also surpassed 1,000 career points.
The Eagles managed to rack up four tries in each half and kept 'Fax scoreless, as they suffered a second heavy defeat in two weeks.
At the Fox's Biscuits Stadium, Wakefield Trinity were embroiled in a gutsy battle with Batley Bulldogs - the game much closer than the score-line perhaps suggested.
Two early tries from Max Jowitt put Trinity 12-0 up in the first ten minutes, but the Bulldogs clawed their way back into the match through Dale Morton and Alistair Leak, who both side-stepped their ways to the try line.
An early penalty for offside saw Batley opt for goal, as the hosts edged themselves in front to set up an interesting second half.
But the Trinity outfit would eventually prove too strong for a spirited Batley, as four tries in quick succession would see Daryl Powell's men pick up their fifth consecutive win and occupy top spot for another week.
It was also an incredible afternoon for York Knights on Sunday, as they sealed their first victory of the Championship after beating Bradford 25-14.
Jimmy Keinhorst and Jordan Thompson tries put York 14-4 ahead at half-time following Jorge Taufua’s early opener, before a brace of Liam Harris scores in the space of eight minutes put the Knights in complete control against the in-form Bulls, who had won three of their first four matches.
The Bulls managed to register a couple of consolation efforts through Elliot Peposhi and Aidan McGowan but could not threaten to turnaround the deficit.
There were also some big scores elsewhere in the Championship competition, as Swinton Lions put fifty past Dewsbury Rams, whilst Toulouse recorded their first home win of the season with a 40-4 triumph against Whitehaven.
Newly-promoted Doncaster also managed to claim their second win of the season, with Barrow suffering their first home defeat of the year.
Betfred Championship Round 5 results:
York Knights 25 Bradford Bulls 14
Barrow Raiders 6 Doncaster RLFC 38
Featherstone Rovers 32 Widnes Vikings 24
Swinton Lions 50 Dewsbury Rams 22
Halifax Panthers 0 Sheffield Eagles 46
Batley Bulldogs 14 Wakefield Trinity 34
Toulouse Olympique 40 Whitehaven RLFC 4
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship and all of the relevant information and kick-off times can be found here.
Photo Credit: York Knights
