Championship Round Two attendances: Three games record crowds of more than 3,000

Three teams posted attendances of more than 3,000 during Championship Round Two, while Featherstone recorded the highest crowd of the recent action. 

Rovers confirmed the biggest attendance of the latest round with 3,794 at Post Office Road. Sean Long’s side made it two wins from two on Sunday with a 46-22 victory over Halifax.

Full-back Caleb Aekins scored twice, alongside tries from team-mates Chris Hankinson, Gadwin Springer, Matty Wildie, Riley Dean, Connor Jones and Gareth Gale.

Meanwhile, Widnes posted a healthy attendance of 3,498 for their home clash against Keighley at the DCBL Stadium. John Kear’s side claimed a 26-18 victory, while Luke Gale scored his and the club’s first try of 2023.

Toulouse recorded a crowd of 3,047 for their first home game of 2023 back in the Championship. They defeated Newcastle Thunder 58-0 on Saturday, with Sylvain Houles’ side running in 11 tries over their part-time opponents.

Elsewhere in the Championship

Barrow fell to their second consecutive home defeat of 2023, but saw a healthy crowd of 2,094 at the Matt Johnson Prestige Stadium on Sunday against Sheffield.

Kris Welham and Will Oakes both crossed for braces for the visitors. Matty Dawson-Jones, Bayley Liu and Anthony Thackeray also scoring for the Eagles in their 36-16 triumph. 

Only one team recorded an attendance lower than 1,000 – that being Whitehaven’s home clash against London Broncos. 750 spectators saw the visitors claim a 20-16 victory in Cumbria.

Batley Bulldogs saw a crowd of 1,551 for their home fixture against Swinton, falling to a 30-16 defeat. The Championship outfit announced massive ticket price reductions for their 2023 campaign, priced at just £10 for every adult and concession.

York are yet to confirm their attendance for Monday night’s win over Bradford at the LNER Community Stadium. Andrew Henderson picked up his first win as York’s head coach with a 32-16 victory.

Excluding York, it means a total of 14,734 spectators attended a game over the weekend in the Championship. That gives an average of 2,455 between six fixtures.

16,442 fans attended a game during the opening round – an average of 2,348 across the seven fixtures. 

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