Round Two of the Betfred Championship was played out over Saturday and Sunday with the Widnes Vikings travelling to Toulouse for the Saturday afternoon match. Sunday saw the Bulls at Swinton, the Centurions making the trip to Halifax, Featherstone hosting a local derby match with Batley, and the Eagles making the trip up to Cumbria to face Barrow.

Dewsbury and York had a meeting in West Yorkshire, while the Toronto Wolfpack were in Rochdale as the Lancastrian side got their season underway after last weeks postponement.

Once again there would be some close and exciting games.

Widnes did brilliantly to go to Toulouse and come home with the points, maintaining their one hundred percent record in their new division. Hood had given the visitors the lead but tries from Parata and Robin edged the home side ahead. The lead was five minutes long as Chapelhow scored for the Vikings to level the scores at 12-12. Robin got his second to put the French side back ahead but a try from Gelling, wich was unconverted, got Widnes within two at the interval. Widnes had a stunning second half with tries from Craven and Ince before Robin comnpleted his hat-trick for Toulouse. A second Gelling score two minutes from time sealed a 36-24 win for the Chemics.

It was a dramatic finale in Barrow as the Sheffield Eagles pinched the points to record their second win of the season. Puara put Barrow ahead but tries from Millar and Farrell edged them into a 10-6 interval lead. Amean grabbed a five minute brace for a 16-10 lead before Millar and Thackeray  made it 22-16. A sixty-ninth minute Johnson try was converted by Dallimore to leve the scores but when Sheffield were awarded a penalty as the final hooter sounded, Walker kicked the goal for a two point win.

Halifax dug deep to take the points off the Leigh Centurions with a 33-26 win. Moore and Thornley exchanged early tries  before Pownall and Tyrer did likewise for 12-12. A white try for ‘Fax before the interval ensured that they took a slim lead into the interval. Two tries from Robinson and one from Barber in a devastating eight minute spell put Halifax 32-14 ahead but Leigh weren’t throwing in the towel. Two tries from Adamson were punctuated by a White drop-goal for Halifax and the home side held on for the win.

Toronto took an early lead away at Rochdale through Russell, the first of four tries he’d score in the match, and when Mellor and O’Brien added four pointers it was already 16-0. Lawton got a converted try Rochdale on nineteen, their only score of the game, before Toronto got down to work. More tries from Lussick and Leutele put the visitors 26-6 ahead at the break. Russell scored three more second half tries and Stanley, Emmitt and Sidlow all crossed for four pointers as O’Brien slotted over a total of seven goals for a 58-6 final score to ensure that Toronto took top position in the early league table.

The Bradford Bulls made it two from two with a hard-fought win over the Swinton Lions at Heywood Road. Wildie put the Bulls ahead but they were rocked when Butt and Forsyth scored for Swinton to put the home side 10-6 ahead. A Hankinson penalty stretched the lead to 12-6 before a Ryan converted try sent the sides into the interval at 12-12. The second half was all Bradford as Hitchcox, Crossley and Evans crossed the whitewash, Chisolm kicked three conversions and Lilley slotted over a drop goal for good measure in a 31-12 win.

Featherstone Rovers put the Batley Bulldogs to the sword with a convincing 42-14 win. Boas opened the home account but Campbell responded for Batley. Jouffret put the Bulldogs ahead at 8-6 but tries from Teteh and King ensured that the home side were 16-8 ahead at the break. Rovers kicked loose in the second half with tries from Carey, Singleton, Day, Smith and Boas for a 42-8 lead before a last minute Yates consolation.

There was a battle royal at the Tetley Stadium as Dewsbury and York did battle. Two tries from Day for Dewsbury early on gave them a 14-0 lead at the interval but York found their A game in the second half with three tries in ten minutes from Horne, Robson and Jordan-Roberts for an 18-16 lead. A try from Garratt in the seventy-second minutes was converted by Sykes for a 22-18 Dewsbury lead but York weren’t done. Porter went over for the City Knights three minutes from time and the conversion edged the visitors two ahead before a last minute penalty goal from Robinson sealed the win for the newly promoted side.