 Day two of the Kingstone Press Championship Summer Bash saw fans of the remaining six teams make their way to Blackpool. With five of the six sides being represented heralding from West Yorkshire, the M62 and M6 were awash with the colours of Dewsbury, Batley, Hunslet, Doncaster and Featherstone. The shortest journey was for those wearing the red and white of Leigh, and they were the ones looking for their side to maintain their incredible winning run.
Dewsbury and Batley were to battle it out in mid table, while Doncaster were looking for their first win of the season against Hunslet Hawks. The potential game of the weekend was the last to grace the Bloomfield Road pitch, where Featherstone Rovers needed a win over the top placed Leigh to consolidate their all-important top four place.
Game 1: Dewsbury v. Batley
In the early kick-off there was the heavy woollen derby, a battle royal between two sides geographically separated by just two miles in the heart of West Yorkshire.
The Rams took the lead through a Scott Hale try converted by Brett Seymour but Batley Bulldogs were back on level terms seven minutes later when Bradley Day scored a four-pointer and Scott Leatherbarrow added the two. Five minutes out from half-time and Aaron Brown edged Dewsbury back in front with the Seymour goal making it 12-6 at the interval.
Within four minutes of the restart it was Batley's Alex Brown who crossed and Leatherbarrow added the extras to tie things up at 12-12. The sides slogged it out until twelve minutes from the end when Dalton Grant got over the whitewash and Seymour kicked the two for 18-12.
Dewsbury then dug in to keep Batley out, before an Anthony Thackeray drop-goal sealed the Dewsbury win two minutes out from the final hooter.
Game 2: Doncaster v. Hunslet
Hunslet were the nailed-on favourites to inflict the latest pain on a winless Doncaster, the South Yorkshire side firmly anchored to the bottom of the Championship, six points adrift of Whitehaven and after having parted company with their coach Paul Cooke earlier the week.
Early on, the game went to form with Jimmy Keinhorst scoring the opening try, converted by Danny Ansell. Richard Wilkinson responses for Doncaster but with his try unconverted Jim Watson and Danny Maun both scored four-pointers for Hunslet, the first being converted by Ansell for a 16-4 lead with twenty-five minutes on the clock. Six minutes out from the break Shaun Leaf went in for Doncaster to narrow the deficit to just eight points at 16-8 and give themselves a chance in the second half.
When Tom Hodgson got Doncaster within four points of the Hawks on fifty-five it was game on, so much so that Hunslet opted for the penalty three minutes later rather then going for the try. On sixty-four a Luke Briscoe try and Ansell conversion established the twelve point lead and the Hawks were 24-12 ahead.
With three minutes left in the game Danny Ansell put the result beyond doubt when he kicked a drop-goal to secure a comfortable 25-12 win.
Game 3: Leigh v. Featherstone
Leigh Centurions were defending a winning streak going back as far as the thirteenth of July 2014, twenty-six games ago, until their last defeat at the hands of Doncaster by an eight point margin. But they were up against the side that they faced in last seasons Grand Final in Featherstone Rovers who had their own agenda for this afternoons game, consolidating their top four place.
It was Rovers who got into the early swing of things when on the third tackle a great defensive effort saw Liam Kay dragged into touch. From the resulting scum Rovers used their tackles and Ben Blackmore went over off a Paul Sykes pass. Sykes goaled from wide for 6-0.
Leigh were back on level terms after nine when a great break from Brierley saw him pass off his knees into the hands on Gregg McNally to go under the sticks. Martyn Ridyard goaled an easy conversion for 6-6. But the game was already starting to turn nasty.
Gareth Hock can count himself lucky not to have seen yellow from referee Leatherbarrow for a slap when regaining his feet after being tackled, and on twenty-five it boiled over and Paul Wood was sent off for a 'gouge' and Sam Barlow followed him into the stands but with just a ten minute rest. From the resulting penalty Ridyard goaled for 8-6.
Still re-adjusting to being a man down, Featherstone failed to cover and McNally went over from acting half-back for his second from just three metres out. Ridyard made it 14-6 and in the dying seconds of the half Brierley dropped a goal from thirty metres to edge his side a point further clear at 15-6.
There was just over one, second half minute, on the clock when a Featherstone knock-on gifted field position and Leigh moved the ball quickly for Greg Worthington to crash over. Ridyard missed the conversion attempt for 19-6 and there was a fear that the floodgates might open.
On forty-four Leigh broke down the middle with Beswick being brought to ground on the Fev twenty. Leigh used a couple of tackles before new signing Mick Higham dove over next to the upright. Ridyard slotted over an easy conversion for 25-6.
Six minutes later and McNally had his hat-trick running the angle from a Ridyard pass off the back of a scrum. Ridyard kicked the two for 31-6 and it was becoming easy for the Centurions as the twelve man Featherstone capitulated.
As the second half wore on the play became increasingly bad tempered. On sixty-four Gareth Hock was yellow-carded for getting involved in someone else's fight. Thirty seconds later he was followed by Gareth Moore for retribution after the tackle and Featherstone were down to eleven against Leigh's twelve.
On seventy-one Leigh's Liam Kay was sin-binned for a professional foul in pulling back Thomas Minns as he chased his own kick. From the resulting penalty it looked like Ian Hardman was going to score, but as McNally slid in to tackle he was adjudged to have fouled and the video referee awarded a penalty try. Paul Sykes kicked the extras and Featherstone were in double figures but still trailing 31-12.
The game fizzled out with everyone hoping that they'd not see any more cards out of Mr Leatherbarrow's back pocket. Leigh had a maintained their record but could be facing some disciplinary problems during the week. Featherstone had no answer to the Leigh onslaught and when Paul Wood made them play three-quarters of the game with a man down, they were never going to be in contention.
A real blood and thunder end to an excellent Blackpool weekend.
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