Victories for Hull and Rotherham Titans keeps pressure on leaders

Promotion-chasing Rotherham Titans and Hull RFC kept pace with the National Two (North) leaders, both securing victories to stay second and third respectively.

The Titans clocked a 26-10 victory at Harrogate, running in four tries on their way to victory to keep three points behind leaders Sedgley Park with two games in hand

Scrum-half Kit Keith kicked an early penalty for the hosts but it wasn’t long before Rotherham got off the mark

Stand-off Matthew Minogue converted his own 27th-minute try and was also on target following hooker Harry Newborn’s 36th-minute pushover try which put the Titans 14-3 ahead at half- time

Right winger Tom Lewis added Rotherham’s third try on 47 minutes to put his side 19-3 ahead, but Harrogate narrowed the gap with hooker Steven Maycock getting the try on 53 minutes and Keith converting

However, the visitors made sure of the win and the bonus point with No 8 Callum Bustin touching down in the final minute and Minogue adding the extras

Hull are also just three points behind at the top of the table following their 22-14 win over Fylde

Right winger Mike Adlard got them off the mark with a try after seven minutes, but the Lancashire side hit back with wing forward Marcus Blake having his try converted by stand-off Greg Smith

Replacement Ben Boothman touched down on 28 minutes to retake the lead with Hull, but after half time Fylde went back in front with left winger Tom Grimes scoring a try which Smith improved

However, Hull were only behind for nine minutes with inside centre Stephen Johnson scoring a try, while prop Tipiloma Kivalu’s 71st minute try was converted by stand-off Simon Humberstone to secure a bonus point win

Wharfedale ran out 20-12 winners at Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield

Inside centre Will Milner put the hosts ahead in the fourth minute, but Wharfedale were soon off the mark with wingers Bradley Viner and Rian Hamilton scoring tries on 12 and 22 minutes to go 10-3 ahead

However, three more penalties from Milner saw Huddersfield edge into a 12-10 lead

But the visitors weren’t to be denied, and Viner’s second try was converted by full-back Will Davidson who also added a late penalty to take the win

Sheffield Tigers kept a clean sheet on their way to a 27-0 win over Luctonians at Dore Moor

After stand-off Mark Ireland had kicked a 13th-minute penalty he was on target with the extras following prop Nick Bingham’s 23rd-minute try

A second penalty followed on 40 minutes, and he also converted after tries on 43 and 55 minutes from prop Will Bennett and full-back Greg Mellor

Tries from winger Nathan Hill and centre Josh Britton weren’t enough for Hull Ionians, who went down 42-15 at Stourbridge Stand-off Ben Smith kicked a conversion and penalty for the East Yorkshire side

Top of the table Otley ran in nine tries at bottom of the table Northwich to maintain their lead in the North Premier table

The West Yorkshire outfit made it 12 wins in 12 league games this season with the victory, and had drafted in several new faces to get match experience against a side who have not won once this season so far

York lost out 28-12 at Lymm and were overtaken by their hosts, while Sandal were beaten 31-3 at Wirral

Old Brodleians secured a big 63-5 win at Bradford and Bingley in North One East, which narrowed the gap to leaders Driffield to just two points

Driffield won 23-10 at Pocklington, but missed out on a four-try bonus point

Elsewhere third-placed Heath narrowly won 15-9 at Morley’s Scatcherd Lane home.