Women’s Championship
Sunday 11 August 2024, Sewell Group Craven Park (2pm)
Hull KR 4-58 Leigh Leopards
Leopards continued their try-scoring romp through the Championship, reeling off their 14th straight victory on a hot afternoon in East Yorkshire.
Kate Howard took the try-scoring honours by scoring a hat-trick with two tries apiece for Storm Cobain and Georgia Mole.
Charlotte Melvin scored a try and kicked seven goals to take her points tally for the season to 222 from 14 tries and 83 goals.
Rovers have faced Leopards three times this year, once in the Challenge Cup and twice in the league, scoring 10 points and conceding 156.
As with most of the teams Leopards have faced in the second half of the season, they showed a marked improvement in aspects of their game as they develop their women’s section.
But Leopards are indisputably a class above the rest. They have scored 724pts and conceded only 64 in those 14 games and will clinch the league leader’s accolade if they beat Bradford Bulls in their next game.
The challenge they will face in the autumn is taking that dominant form into a testing four game play-off schedule with the ultimate goal of earning a place in Super League for 2025.
Kieron Purtill has cleverly rotated his squad this year and now has a much bigger group of players who are all capable of slotting into several positions.
He was missing several regulars for this game, but a neutral observer would hardly have noticed.
On the lush Craven Park pitch, ideally suited to Leopards’ strong attacking game, Leopards started strongly and had the game wrapped up by half-time when they held a 26-0 lead.
Melvin, Storm Cobain, Howard, Freya Turner and Rhianna Burke all scored tries with Melvin adding three conversions.
Cobain added her second try- and her 15th of the season- within seconds of the re-start.
With the Leopards pack dominant Mole stormed over for a brace, Howard added two more tries for her hat-trick to take her tally to 18 for the season.
Fullback Hattie Dogus, whose damaging broken field runs from distance and ability to join the line adds so much to the side’s attacking options, also scored. She is the team’s top try-scorer this year with 21 tries.
The only blot on the Leopards copybook was conceding a try to Amy Nolan but that was the least the hosts deserved for their contribution to an entertaining game.
Leopards are next in action on Saturday 31 August when they entertain Bradford Bulls at Leigh Miners Rangers Academy, Sutton Park, Manchester Road (2pm).
Rovers:
Carla Nolan; Ruby Marritt, Haylie Hields, Demi Thomas, Amy Nolan; Kayleigh Bulman-Hook, Katie Nozedar; Bethany Rushmer, Ebony Oaten-Powdrill, Hannah Byrom, Aisla Merryweather, Madison Kendall, Sophie-Leigh Banks
Bench:
Lucy Ashcroft, Niamh Mullins, Rachel Robertson, Jade Smalley
Try:
Amy Nolan
Leopards
Hattie Dogus; Kim Seddon, Charlotte Melvin, Mollie Young, Freya Turner; Rhianna Burke, Abi Gordon; Keira McCosh, Kate Howard, Mairead Quinn (capt), Keli Morris, Storm Cobain, Grace Hill
Bench:
Georgia Mole, Sam Brazier, Robyn Bell-Soppelsa, Claire Mullaney
Tries:
Howard 3, Cobain 2, Mole 2, Burke, Dogus, Melvin, Turner
Goals:
Melvin 7/ 11
Scoring sequence: 0-4, 0-10, 0-16, 0-22, 0-26 (ht) 0-30, 0-36, 4-36, 4-42, 4-46, 4-52, 4-58
