League leaders York Knights continued their winning streak in Round 19 of the Betfred Championship, but were pushed all the way by Halifax.
Mark Applegarth’s men trailed 6-0 at the break, with ‘Fax taking the best of their chances and opening the scores through Charlie Graham.
But a remarkable second half comeback would see the hosts go on to claim the two points on offer.
Three tries, including two from Ben Jones-Bishop, and a drop goal from Will Dagger, in the final 20 minutes turned things around for the Knights.
The Panthers drop out of the top six, as a result.
On Saturday, Toulouse were winners in Cumbria. It was a very close contest until the later stages, with the French side ramping things up in the final quarter and crossing three times through Paul Ulberg, Joe Bretherton and Thomas Lacans to take the win.
Sunday’s action saw multiple points fests, starting with Oldham’s convincing victory over Hunslet at Boundary Park.
The Roughyeds returned to winning ways with a ten-try haul over bottom-placed Hunslet, including doubles from Phoenix Laulu-Togaga'e, Kieran Dixon and Ben O'Keefe, as they look to consolidate a top four finish.
Featherstone sit in fifth after beating London Broncos on home soil. But it was no easy task for the Rovers, who had to overturn a 4-12 deficit after the break.
But Paul Cooke’s men went on to produce a dominant second half showing, scoring an impressive 32 points through Caleb Aekins, Derrell Olpherts and Ryan Hampshire’s efforts, before Will Jubb wrapped things up on the 77th minute.
Meanwhile in Widnes, Bradford Bulls made it back-to-back league victories.
The Vikings held a narrow advantage at the break, but the visitors fought back to claim the spoils – inspired by Jayden Okunbor’s double with tries at the end of each half.
Allan Coleman’s side slip to their third consecutive defeat and haven’t avoided the bottom four just yet…
Finally, it was a superb win for the Dons as they marked their return to the Eco-Power Stadium with a seven-try victory over Batley.
Tries from Brad Hey, Watson Boas, Edene Gebbie and Craig Hall gave Richard Horne's side a 20-point lead at half time, and the hosts were in no mood to stop there.
Boas and Gebbie both completed braces in the second half, and Pauli Pauli also marked a return to the scoresheet.
Doncaster move back into the top six after Round 19’s results, as the Play-Off race heats up – and there’s just a one-point difference between fifth and eighth…
Betfred Championship Round 19 results:
Halifax Panthers 12 York Knights 19
Barrow Raiders 14 Toulouse Olympique 34
Oldham 48 Hunslet 16
Featherstone Rovers 36 London Broncos 18
Widnes Vikings 16 Bradford Bulls 28
Doncaster 42 Batley Bulldogs 16
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship can be found here.
Photo Credit: Doncaster
