Round Three of the Championship has seen Salford RLFC land their first league win but a major upset has stolen the headlines.
It is not the first win of the new Salford club as they did defeat Hammersmith Hill Hoists to progress to the third round of the Challenge Cup, however, it is the first win for Mike Grady’s side in the league.
Bolstered by a number of loanees from Wigan, including Noah Hodkinson who scored a brace, Salford won 29-18 with Widnes loanee Toby Hughes kicking a late drop goal to rubber-stamp the win.
It means Salford move away from the foot of the table with Hunslet still among the teams yet to record a win, though they have only played two fixtures compared to three.
The shock of the weekend, at least in the eyes of the bookmakers, came when Dewsbury Rams kept their winning streak going and defeated the previously unbeaten Newcastle Thunder.
Both teams headed into the game with two wins from two in the Championship, however, Dewsbury were made 8/1 outsiders away from the home and that looked justified when they trailed 28-14 with 25 minutes to play. Four converted tries secured the comeback with the Rams moving to third in the league, leaving Newcastle in fourth.
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Championship round three results assessed
Elsewhere at the top of the table, Barrow Raiders won once again as they beat Cumbrian rivals Whitehaven 30-0 with their points difference already a whopping 104 after just three games.
Rochdale also retained their 100% record as they beat Keighley Cougars, whilst Doncaster, Midlands, Widnes and North Wales were other top ten teams to get wins.
The most impressive of those was North Wales’ 48-22 win over Swinton on Saturday, whilst Midlands beat cup heroes Goole 28-14 that same day.
Cumbrian pair Whitehaven and Workington sit 19th and 18th in the league with Swinton, Batley and Hunslet the other teams without a win.
London Broncos, Sheffield Eagles and Oldham were all on bye in round three.
Championship round three results
Saturday 14th February
Goole Vikings 14-28 Midlands Hurricanes
North Wales Crusaders 48-22 Swinton Lions
Sunday 15th February
Batley Bulldogs 12-16 Doncaster RLFC
Newcastle Thunder 28-38 Dewsbury Rams
Rochdale Hornets 24-10 Keighley Cougars
Salford RLFC 29-18 Hunslet
Whitehaven 0-30 Barrow Raiders
Workington Town 10-22 Widnes Vikings
