National League round-up: Dewsbury Moor Maroons keep pressure on top two teams
A strong second half display saw Dewsbury Moor Maroons run out 36-8 winners at Stanningley to stay in third place in Division One of the National League.
The hosts, who had won 8-6 at Dewsbury, were only 12-8 behind at the break, having bounced back from a try and two goals by Louie Walker and a Kieren Hepworth touchdown with a Jacob Morgan effort, with Sam Oldroyd adding the extras and a subsequent penalty.
It was, though, one-way traffic in the second period, when Hepworth added two more tries to complete his hat-trick.
George Woodcock and Jackson Walker also raced over and Louie Walker completed a six-goal contribution.
The Maroons, who are five points behind second-placed Dewsbury Celtic but have two games in hand, are certainly eyeing a place in the top two – and automatic promotion – while Stanningley are only four points clear of the drop zone.
Celtic remained on the coat-tails of leaders Kells after a 28-6 success at Oulton Raiders.
They had to wait until the 21st minute before Joel Gibson crossed for the first score but the visitors, who had won 32-2 at Crows’ Nest Park, were 18-0 ahead at half-time, by which stage Gibson had grabbed his second score and Jordan Hirst had managed a try and three goals.
Drew Judge-Clark and Joe Mitchell added touchdowns inside the first 11 minutes of the second period, with Hirst landing another conversion, before Oulton had the last word when Archie Craggs converted Adrian Holdsworth’s try 12 minutes from time.
Shaw Cross Sharks, who had edged Egremont Rangers 24-22 at home earlier in the season, seemed to find the going somewhat easier in the return in Cumbria.
This time the Sharks ran out 40-18 winners and were 16-0 ahead by the break, thanks to a try and two goals by Evan Stephenson plus touchdowns for Nathan Wright and Harrison Sutcliffe.
Egremont recovered to 22-12, courtesy of tries by Jack Pae and Lachlan McDowell, but Stephenson nipped over between-times.
The visitors went on to register touchdowns by Lewis Fisher, Paul Chitakunye and Wright, with Stephenson completing a six-goal contribution in helping avoid a third successive defeat, before Rangers closed the scoring with McDowell’s second score and Joe Lewis’ third goal.
Shaw Cross are a point off the play-off positions.