Championship round-up: Four-try Lachlan Walmsley helps Halifax Panthers to big win over Barrow Raiders while Featherstone Rovers come back to beat York Knights

Fax beat Barrow Raiders 48-20 despite being 16-0 down after only 15 minutes while league leaders Fev overcame a 4-0 and 8-6 deficit to beat York Knights 24-8.

Lachlan Walmsley was the hero for the Panthers with four tries, while Ben Kavanagh grabbed a double. There were also tries from Adam O’Brien, Dan Fleming and James Woodburn-Hall.

The day started with a poignant minute’s silence for former Fax player Ben Heaton, who recently, and sadly, passed away.

It was Halifax’s first game at The Shay since the 60-0 victory over Whitehaven on May 14. But this homecoming fixture didn’t get off to the greatest start as Ellis Gillam, with barely a minute on the clock, dummied his way over the line. It got better after only ten minutes when Ryan Shaw went over in the corner before he converted his own try for a quite spectacular 12-0 lead.

Things got worse for Fax when James Saltonstall was sin-binned for a professional foul on Andrew Bulman when the winger looked to be clean through. And the extra man advantage was made to count instantaneously as Bulman found space which Saltonstall would have probably occupied to go over for a 16-0 lead.

It took ten minutes for the home side to find their feet and it was the man who normally comes to the rescue who got them back into the contest. Walmsley, the division’s top try scorer got Fax on the board after being found by Ben Tibbs. The winger stepped inside and stretched a long arm over the line.

On 33 minutes, Ben Heaton’s age, there was a tremendous tribute from The Shay crowd, including fireworks being let off. It was quite apt that Fax scored a minute later, as O’Brien went over from dummy half. Louis Jouffret added another set of two points to make it 12-16.

But perhaps the game’s decisive moment occurred just before the hooter when Barrow’s Jarrod Sammut was sent off for a dangerous challenge on Woodburn-Hall.

And it didn’t take them long to make the numerical advantage count with Walmsley getting his second of the afternoon - from another Tibbs assist - and finishing with his trademark acrobatic style, to make it 16-16.

They were in front by the 46th minute with Kavanagh being found by O’Brien before powering over from close range. They did not look back. Kavanage got his second before Fleming got his first try back in Fax colours since moving back to his hometown club on a deal from Fev in April.

Walmsley completed his hat-trick on 65 minutes as Halifax created a healthy 36-16 lead, which was extended thanks to Woodburn-Hall. The Raiders got a consolation try through Ryan Johnston before Walmsley bagged his fourth late on.

League leaders Fev travelled to play a York side they had already beaten 46-4 in March and 46-16 at the Summer Bash, with Gareth Gale scoring seven tries. But they didn’t have it all their own way in the trilogy match as Ata Hingano intercepted a Rovers move in the middle and opened the scoring.

Hack Bussey was then carried off the field on a stretcher in a serious-looking injury as things went from bad to worse for Sean Long’s men. However, they regrouped and restored parity through Joey Leilua’s powerful run before Mark Kheirallah added the extras.

Hingano’s high bomb, however, allowed AJ Towse to collect and ground, as York regained their lead. But that was as good as it got for the home side as Leilua grabbed his second of the game seven minutes before the hooter as Fev took a slender 10-8 lead into half-time.

Kheirallah kicked a penalty to make it 12-8 before he touched down himself on 51 minutes. He then successfully converted his own try.

Connor Jones added the visitors’ fourth try of the afternoon late on as Fev eased to their 15th win out of 16 Championship games to establish an eight-point lead at the top.

In Sunday’s other games, Batley Bulldogs failed to keep it as a six-point deficit at the top after London Broncos ended Craig Lingard’s men’s seven-game winning run, 20-18. The result means the Bulldogs stay in fourth place, level on points with Toulouse and Sheffield Eagles who leapfrogged them after their victories, over Bradford and Newcastle respectively, earlier this weekend.

Keighley Cougars beat Whitehaven 26-18, while Swinton Lions beat Widnes Vikings 25-18 away.