Championship Shield round-up: Leigh bag 12 tries, Barrow take big strides, Dewsbury come from behind

There were two big scorelines and two tight affairs in round one of the Championship Shield.

Barrow Raiders took one step closer to securing their Championship status for next year after edging past Rochdale Hornets 17-10 at Craven Park on Sunday. Jono Smith and Alec Susino scored Barrow’s tries, while Jamie Dallimore kicked four goals. Warrington Wolves duo Morgan Smith and Pat Moran featured for Rochdale on dual-registration.

Dewsbury Rams ran in six tries unanswered second half tries to beat Swinton Lions 40-7 at the Tetley’s Stadium. The Rams were 7-6 behind at the break, but efforts from Dom Speakman, Adam Ryder, Aaron Brown, Gareth Potts, Michael Knowles and Josh Guzdek saw them home. Paul Sykes also kicked six goals for the Rams. Joe Brown and Josh Woods played for Swinton on loan from Wigan Warriors, while Paul Wood made his debut for the Lions.

Featherstone Rovers came from being 12-6 behind to claim a 26-12 win over Batley Bulldogs at the LD Nutrition Stadium. Luke Briscoe, Anthony Thackeray, Luke Cooper and Danny Maskill scored for Rovers. Featherstone’s Josh Hardcastle and Batley’s Wayne Reittie were both sin-binned for professional fouls.

Four tries from France international Ilias Bergal helped Leigh Centurions to a 68-6 rout over Sheffield Eagles at the Leigh Sports Village. Nathan Mason, Drew Hutchison (2), Mitch Cox, Ricky Bailey, Liam Hood, Jack Owens and Matty Dawson-Jones all scored for the Centurions. Cox made his debut for Leigh after joining the club from amateur side Thatto Heath Crusaders.

Championship Shield round one results:

Barrow Raiders 17-10 Rochdale Hornets (1,033)

Dewsbury Rams 40-7 Swinton Lions (752)

Featherstone Rovers 26-12 Batley Bulldogs (1,236)

Leigh Centurions 68-6 Sheffield Eagles (2,647)