Round 24 of the Betfred Championship delivered one of the shocks of the season, as London Broncos suffered their first league defeat of 2026.
There were also a series of close contests across the competition this weekend.
But first, the result of the round came at Boundary Park, where Oldham RLFC ended London's long unbeaten run with an stunning 34-24 victory. The Roughyeds became the first side to defeat the Broncos in the Championship this season, strengthening their grip on third place and denying London the chance to secure the League Leaders' Shield in Round 24.
The match provided pulsating end-to-end action with the scores locked in at 18-18 before Oldham extended their lead through two Tom Forber tries and Jake Bibby, which made the mountain for the table toppers, to hard to climb.
Meanwhile, Whitehaven boosted their top ten hopes with a convincing 34-12 win over Dewsbury Rams on home soil. The victory moved Haven further clear inside the Play-Off places, while the Rams saw their hopes of catching Batley Bulldogs in tenth suffer a significant setback.
Dewsbury remain the only side capable of catching their local rivals Batley heading into the closing stages of the regular season.
But the Bulldogs took full advantage, edging past local rivals Keighley Cougars 22-18 at Cougar Park courtesy of Nyle Flynn's last gasp try. After pushing Newcastle Thunder close the previous week, the Bulldogs returned to winning ways and strengthened their hold on tenth position.
Doncaster continued their excellent form with a 44-16 victory over Midlands Hurricanes. Having recorded a remarkable 120-point win the previous weekend and then defeated Barrow Raiders in a rearranged fixture earlier in the week, the Dons made it three victories in quick succession to remain firmly in the hunt for a top-four finish.
Richard Horne's side scored three tries in the first half through Connor Jones, Connor Robinson and Reece Lyne and led by ten points at the break.
Jacob Jones, Muizz Mustapha, Sam Smeaton and Luke Briscoe added further tries in the second half, but the damage had already been done in the opening forty minutes.
Widnes Vikings were made to work hard at The Shay but came away with a narrow, hard fought 11-10 win over Halifax Panthers. Thanks to Tom Gilmore's drop goal, this result keeps the Vikings in fifth and maintains momentum heading towards the post-season.
Sheffield Eagles also strengthened their position in the top ten after holding off a spirited Hunslet outfit to claim a 28-26 victory. The Eagles bounced back from last week's one-point defeat at Oldham and remain ready for Play-Off rugby.
Elsewhere, in Cumbria, Rochdale Hornets secured a 22-20 win over Workington Town in one of the tighest contests of the weekend, and the biggest winning margin came at Heywood Road, where Swinton Lions powered to a 60-10 success against North Wales Crusaders.
Betfred Championship Round 24 Results:
Swinton Lions 60-10 North Wales Crusaders
Doncaster RLFC 44-16 Midlands Hurricanes
Halifax Panthers 10-11 Widnes Vikings
Batley Bulldogs 22-18 Keighley Cougars
Oldham RLFC 34-24 London Broncos
Sheffield Eagles 28-26 Hunslet RLFC
Whitehaven RLFC 34-12 Dewsbury Rams
Workington Town 20-22 Rochdale Hornets
