West Yorkshire rugby league match abandoned after crowd trouble: Leeds side have 3 sent-off in separate game
Crowd trouble led to a West Yorkshire amateur rugby league match being abandoned.
Dewsbury-based Thornhill Trojans were drawing 14-14 at National League Yorkshire A leaders Moldgreen, of Huddersfield, when the referee called a halt. A Trojans spokesman described the game as “a niggly encounter, with tempers boiling over on more than one occasion”.
The flashpoint came in the second half when an “altercation” erupted between players on both sides as Moldgreen broke away to score. Spectators became involved and the match official ended the game without awarding the try. League officials will now decide whether the result will stand.
Before that, Trojans had Johnny Campbell (high tackle) and Elliot Robson (punching) sin-binned in separate incidents and Moldgreen’s Xander Nash was red-carded for dissent after being sin-binned over a high tackle. Sam Ratcliffe scored a try and three goals for Thornhill and Reece Nicholson also crossed.
It wasn’t much calmer at East Leeds where the home side had three players sent-off during a 30-24 defeat by Dewsbury Moor in National One. Easts led 18-0 at half-time after tries from Moris Kamano, Jack Norfolk and Billy Evans, all converted by Luke Littlewood.
Moor cut the gap to six points before Easts’ Keidan Hartley was sent off for alleged dissent and Alfie Crawford and Dave Gibbons soon followed. George Woodcock crossed twice for Moor and booted five goals, with Louie Walker, Taylor Russell and Taireeq Garrick also touching down. Isaac Coleman grabbed a late consolation for Easts, improved by Littlewood.
In the same division, Sam Peel and Elliott Whitaker scored Stanningley’s tries in a 28-12 defeat at Leigh Miners Rangers, both converted by Zack Clayton.
Archie Craggs kicked Oulton Raiders ahead with a 23rd-minute penalty at Dewsbury Celtic, but the Leeds side had nothing else to celebrate in a 32-2 defeat. Moor’s try scorers were Joe Mitchell with a brace, Billy Yarrow, Drew Judge-Clarke, Luke Fox and Joel Gibson, who added four goals.
Hunslet ARLFC completed a fifth successive Premier Division victory with a 42-6 result at relegation-threatened Heworth. The south Leeds side led 24-0 at half-time after tries by Tyler Dargan, Jordan Gale, Alfie Goddard and Junior Rowse.
Dan Sowerby crossed early in the second period and Dargan and Josh McLelland completed the visitors’ tally by the hour mark. Gale had a perfect afternoon with the boot, converting all seven touchdowns. In Yorkshire B, Ethan Howcroft scored a try and Gavin Adkin added a goal for Kippax as they were beaten 30-6 at Skirlaugh.