
North Wales Crusaders bag another win in their title quest
Title rivals Midlands Hurricanes lost out at Workington Town and Crusaders are now four points clear.
In a rematch from the opening day of the League One season, Crusaders came firing out of the blocks.
Looking to complete a league double versus the Rams, North Wales had the lead in the ninth minute when Pat Ah Van was sent clear for a try by Jordy Gibson's pass.
Dewsbury looked to attack and a threatening high kick was gathered under pressure by Ollie Brookes.
Then, on 17 minutes, Crusaders managed to stretch their advantage.
Lloyd Roby was on hand with the try and Jamie Dallimore duly added the extra two points from wide out.
Things got even better for Crusaders just four minutes later. Chris Barratt opened up the Dewsbury defence with a superb run and Olly Davies was there to grab the home side's third score of the afternoon. Dallimore was once again on the money with his conversion attempt and North Wales had a healthy 16-point advantage.
Crusaders will have wanted to keep their opponents out for the whole half, but this didn't turn out to be the case.
Just a minute away from the interval, Dewsbury finally got themselves on the scoreboard with Liam Copland's converted try in the corner and this managed to cut North Wales' advantage to 10 points at the midway mark.
North Wales, victorious against high-flying rivals Midlands Hurricanes and Workington in recent weeks, will have been aiming for a positive opening to the second half under the sun at Colwyn Bay's Stadiwm CSM.
It was nip-and-tuck when the action got back underway and no further work was required from the scoreboard operators during the initial stages.
Aiming to edge closer to their hosts, Dewsbury did manage to win a penalty deep in Crusaders' territory, but North Wales were able to deal well with this and regain possession.
As the half developed, North Wales demonstrated their defensive prowess to force their opponents into a goal-line drop-out.
It was game over with six minutes left to play as North Wales claimed their fourth try of the contest. Sam Wilde pounced to score from Gibson's kick through.
This hard-fought victory keeps Crusaders clear at the top of the standings and with six matches left to play, North Wales know that four more triumphs will be sufficient to spark a title-winning party.
Another week off is in the offing for North Wales, before they return to action with their trip to Newcastle Thunder on July 27.
Swinton are up to second after their 52-10 win over Newcastle, while Midlands lost out 29-12 at Workington. Elsewhere, Goole thrashed Whitehaven 56-6.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Scotsman
an hour ago
- Scotsman
Former Hearts favourite departs Sheffield Wednesday after five year stint to sign for League Two side
Former Hearts fan-favourite Callum Paterson has left English Championship side Sheffield Wednesday after five years with the club to sign for League Two MK Dons. Sign up to our Hearts newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The Scotland international has joined MK Dons after making 186 appearances for the Owls and scoring 31 goals before his contract expired at the end of the season. There was hope that, despite the ongoing financial issues at the Championship club, Paterson could still re-sign with Wednesday after being spotted in pre-season training with his former squad. But the 30-year-old is now set for a move to MK Dons and he told the club's website: 'I met the manager a couple of weeks ago, he shared his plans with me, and he had some great ideas, and I wanted to be a part of it," he told the club website. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "He's got a clear plan and he's a really approachable guy, it makes the difference when you can speak to the manager and he tells you exactly what he wants." The man who came through the youth ranks at Hearts played 137 times for The Jambos' first team between 2012 and 2017 before leaving for Cardiff City, where he achieved Premier League promotion. Paterson's new boss, Paul Warne, said: 'He's a player who's always been a thorn in my side when I've managed teams against him. He's played in numerous positions and can slot in across the front line. He's good in the air, works really hard for the team, and he's a winner, which is what we want at this football club." Paterson's message for the Wednesday fans Paterson posted a heartfelt goodbye message on Instagram after leaving the South Yorkshire club, where he was popular for his high work ethic and contribution to the League One play-off winning side in 2023. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad He said: 'Sadly, my time at Sheffield Wednesday has come to an end. I've loved every second of playing for this massive club and made so many memories that I'll never forget, especially in the promotion season. 186 times I was privileged enough to wear the badge and it was always an honour to pull on that shirt whenever I got the opportunity. 'I would just like to thank all of the fans for making me feel at home in Sheffield for the last five seasons. Thank you to all of the backroom staff, the physios, the coaching staff and everyone else in between. You have all been amazing with me and I'll forever appreciate it. 'I've made some amazing friends for life at the club and in the city itself. Sheffield will always hold a special part in my life with my daughter being born here. I wish everyone at SWFC all the best for the upcoming season and for the future beyond that. Excited to start a new chapter. WAWAW. Pato.'


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
'Marginal gains' guru Robinson to deliver again? It's season predictions
Where will you finish in the league and why?The only guarantee in life is there will come a time when I can no longer casually assume the Buddies will finish in the top half, and so I'm going to continue riding that train until the lights come on at the end of the line. Sixth. We've lost some key starters, but Stephen Robinson has long since earned blind faith in his ability to freshen our is the best signing or has he not signed yet and who should it be?The unknown quantities of Richard King and Jalmaro Calvin, signed from Jamaican champions Cavalier, offer the most potentially exciting answers to this question. However, based on the evidence we have already, it will likely be one of our loanees-turned-permanent. Convincing Roland Idowu and last season's player of the year Killian Phillips to commit for the long term in Paisley represents excellent business. I'll opt for Idowu in order to be different and appear like I'm in the do you want from your manager this season?I want him to stay in Paisley, forever. I want him to continue telling the media that three players are injured, then starting them all on Saturday anyway. I want more of the same from our card-carrying marginal-gains will be the breakout star in your squad?Fraser Taylor. Local boy and Saints fan, late developer who starred on loan for Arbroath last season as they won League One. Nominally a 10, he has played throughout the League Cup group stage in a deep midfield role, replacing Caolan Boyd-Munce. Last year, in a brief cameo, he set up our famous equaliser against Brann in Norway with an inch-perfect cross. I'd argue he's a better and stronger player now, and he has more options to create is your one major concern?We've had (and are still having) a busy summer of squad turnover, losing several popular figures from the past three seasons of relative success. Therein lies a risk that new players won't settle, or the squad will lose something of its closeness. The league also feels stronger at the top end, so patience and understanding for a bottom-half finish might also be Jardine can be found at Misery Hunters, external


BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Gregory given time to decide on Stags future
Mansfield Town striker Lee Gregory will be left to decide if he can continue his playing career with the club after recovering from injury, says Stags boss Nigel 36-year-old missed the final three months of last season with a knee issue, while a similar problem also kept him out for almost two months earlier in the former Sheffield Wednesday, Millwall and Stoke City forward was limited to 20 League One appearances on his return to the club, but still managed to finish as Mansfield's second-top scorer with 10 goals last has continued his recovery with the Stags since the end of the season, while discussions about extending his stay have remained ongoing."We have left it with Lee, really," Clough told BBC Radio Nottingham."He is honest enough to say if his knee is not right. The only person who will know is Lee himself. So he is working hard to do everything he can, but we will know a bit more in the next few weeks."He is still doing his rehab at the moment and is training once every couple of days at the moment."Mansfield start their League One campaign on Saturday, 2 August at Clough's former side Burton Albion.