Manchester Swinton Lionesses’ defence of the Challenge Shield continued with an emphatic 58-4 win at Hull Kingston Rovers in the semi-final.
John Walley’s side will meet Warrington Wolves, who comprehensively beat Workington Town 48-0, in the final.
More milestones were reached for the Lionesses as Emma Welsford scored her 50th point for the club and Maddie Higson got her 150th point for the club.
The Lionesses suffered an early setback when Eve Ashcoft was injured in the warm-up. Leila D’Symonds replaced her at fullback.
Hull KR recovered their own kick off and immediately put the Lionesses’ line under pressure, but superb defence kept them at bay.
The Lionesses responded as the ball was quickly moved across the field to Chloe Newbigging, who cut back inside to score after four minutes. The conversion was missed.
The Lionesses were soon back on the attack and runs by Grace Pritchard and Eleanor Atherton allowed Tamika Bull to put a kick into the in-goal area.
Her chase prevented Rovers from getting the ball into the field of play. Rovers knocked on as they recovered the dropout. From the scrum, D’Symonds went on a run but was tackled near the line. After Bull, Atherton and Bull were tackled short, quick hands by Bull and Higson sent Sammi Simpson in to score. Again, the conversion was missed.
Rovers rallied and put more pressure on the Lionesses’ line, but were repelled by good tackles from Pritchard, Higson and Newbigging.
A Pritchard run set up the next Lionesses attack, which would see them open up a 12-0 lead. Atherton broke through the Rovers’ defence before the ball was moved out to Morgan Pearson, who sent Amber Harmon away to score. The conversion attempt was missed.
The Lionesses now cut loose. From the restart, Grace Arrowsmith passed the ball to Pritchard, who went on a 70-metre run to score under the posts. Higson converted. They scored again from the next kick off.
Atherton drove the ball up before Emma Welsford broke through the defence to go on a 55-metre run to score under the posts.
This was her 50th point for the club. Higson converted. From the next restart, the ball was driven up to halfway before Kerrie Evans broke through the defence to run 40 metres before being tackled. Pearson went on a run from dummy half.
She side-stepped Sofia Franklin before diving over to score. Higson added the extras. Rovers went back on the attack after recovering the restart. Hannah Byrom was tackled short of the Lionesses’ line. A long pass out wide by Jenna Greening could not be taken by Eve Conn with the line wide open.
The Lionesses recovered their own kick off at the start of the second half. Newbigging was tackled short of the line.
The ball was moved across to the middle, where Yasmin Parton Sotomayor crashed over under the posts to score. Higson converted.
The Lionesses were applying more and more pressure on the Rovers’ line. Rovers knocked on coming out of defence. From the scrum, Higson sent Bull on a run.
The ball was moved out to Newbigging, who was tackled short of the line. The ball was moved back to Bull, whose kick and chase was not dealt with by the Rovers’ defence.
As she dived on the loose ball, her arm touched the dead-ball line and the try was disallowed. Rovers went down the other end and were now applying pressure on the Lionesses’ line.
Greening sent a pass out wide to Tilly Lee to score in the corner. Demi Thomas was unable to add the conversion. Hull KR continued to attack the line, but they were unable to break through the Lionesses’ defence. Arrowsmith broke out of defence and went on a run up to halfway.
D’Symonds then broke through three tackles to go on a 50-metre run to score under the posts. Higson converted to bring up her 150th point for the club. The restart went to D’Symonds, who went on a 70-metre run outpacing the Rovers’ defence to score under the posts. Higson added the extras.
Hull KR went back on the attack, but the Lionesses forced them into knocking the ball on. From the scrum, Madeline Neale drove the ball up.
Harmon took the ball up next before moving it out to Jasmine Wilson, whose quick hands with Evans sent Sydney Alderman-Smith in at the corner. The conversion was missed.
The Swinton side capped a fine afternoon when Abbie Singleton darted out from dummy half before sending Bull on a 65-metre run to score under the posts, and Higson duly converted to seal an emphatic 54-point victory.
Match report by Alan Dixon, images supplied by MKS Photography.
