Barrow Raiders, Dewsbury Rams and Rochdale Hornets maintained their unbeaten runs following Round 3 of the Betfred Championship.
The table topping Raiders enjoyed a 30-0 victory over their local rivals Whitehaven, whilst Dewsbury were made to work hard for their win against Newcastle.
It was high-scoring encounter in the North East, before the Rams rallied to produce a stunning second half comeback and overturn their opponents.
There was a game of two halves between Rochdale and Keighley. In a gutsy first forty, the Cougars eventually drew first blood and led through Oliver Whitford’s effort on the 38th minute.
But a second half surge of four tries including a brace from TJ Boyd, put the game well and truly to bed for the hosts.
The result of the round arguably goes to Salford, who produced their first win of the new season against Hunslet.
It was a gritty performance from Mike Grady’s men, and although Hunslet were the first team on the scoreboard, Salford hit back and scored a total of 29 points to Hunslet’s 18.
In the closing stages, it was Toby Hughes who wrapped it up with a drop goal on 79 minutes, before Nathan Lowe put the icing on the cake with a try in the corner, in what was a memorable afternoon for the club.
Widnes Vikings triumphed on the road at Workington Town, but were another team made to work for the two points.
It was a physical contest in Cumbria – with the outcome determined by a decisive final 20 minutes from the Vikings.
Max Roberts powered over to give Widnes some breathing space, followed by Ryan Ince’s finish in the corner which sealed the win.
Also on Sunday, Doncaster won in dramatic style at the home of Batley Bulldogs, which saw them return to winning ways.
Watson Boas was the man of the hour who scored the match-winning try.
The Bulldogs had had a chance to win it with a drop kick late on, but individual brilliance from Tom Holmes flipped the script to get the visitors up the field and Boas capitalised.
Saturday’s action then saw North Wales Crusaders post 48 points on Swinton Lions and Midlands Hurricanes triumphed against Goole in a competitive contest at the Victoria Pleasure Ground.
The score-line read a tight 10-12 at the interval, but the Hurricanes pushed on in the second stanza and made the most of key moments in match; breaking away with tries from Lewis Else, Owen Restall and Brandon Moore.
The five teams still left searching for their first win are Hunslet, Batley, Swinton, and both Cumbrian outfits, Workington and Whitehaven.
Betfred Championship Round 3 results:
Salford RLFC 29 Hunslet RLFC 18
Newcastle Thunder 28 Dewsbury Rams 38
Rochdale Hornets 24 Keighley Cougars 10
Whitehaven RLFC 0 Barrow Raiders 30
Workington Town 10 Widnes Vikings 22
Batley Bulldogs 12 Doncaster RLFC 16
North Wales Crusaders 48 Swinton Lions 22
Goole Vikings 14 Midlands Hurricanes 28
The full fixture list for the Betfred Championship can be found here.
Photo Credit: Salford RLFC
