York Valkyrie 70-0 Featherstone Rovers - Match Report

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York Valkyrie secured their place in the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Semi-Finals after easing to a 70-0 victory over Featherstone Rovers at the LNER Community Stadium.

Eboni Partington, Lacey Owen and Georgie Hetherington all bagged doubles while Liv Wood, Carrie Roberts, Emma Kershaw, Jess Sharp, Tamzin Renouf, Tara Jane Stanley and Rhiannion Marshall also found the whitewash in a 13-try rout.

The Valkyrie will now face St Helens, the reigning holders and winners of the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup for the last three seasons, on the weekend of May 18th/19th, with the exact date and venue to be confirmed in due course.

The Valkyrie made a terrific start, taking the lead inside the opening two minutes when Wood barged over after the ball was worked back inside from the right touchline.

Stanley added the conversion, the first of nine goals from 13 attempts.

Roberts then got her name on the scoresheet by reaching out an arm over the line following a brilliant shoreside play from Sade Rihari.

A quick-fire double from Partington further bolstered York’s, with the England winger crossing twice in the space of six minutes.

Olivia Grace’s high kick failed to find a Featherstone team-mate, instead falling into Partington’s path on halfway, with the Rovers defence failing to catch the pacy winger.

Then, on the back of a superb Liv Wood carry, Stanley picked out Partington with a pinpoint kick for her second.

Back-rower Owen then scythed over from a Lucy Eastwood pass before Kershaw finished off a shift play to the right flank on the half-hour mark.

A couple more tries followed prior to the break, with Sharp crashing over to the left of the sticks before Renouf hit a strong line from Liv Gale’s short pass.

The Valkyrie picked up from where they left off early in the second half as Hetherington darted over from first-receiver after a strong carry from Renouf.

Featherstone managed to hold Lindsay Anfield’s side out for the following 20 minutes before a strong finish saw York score four times in the final quarter of an hour.

Gale offloaded for Owen’s second of the afternoon close to the line and Hetherington then got her second, touching down a Stanley kick which took a wicked bounce over Featherstone full-back Danielle Waters.

Stanley got on the scoresheet when finishing a drop-off pass from Roberts, who had been put in behind by Rihari.

Marshall rounded off the convincing victory by dummying her way through the line and barging over in the penultimate minute.

York: Stanley, Partington, Renouf, Roberts, Kershaw, Rihari, Eastwood, Wood, Hetherington, Stimpson, Owen, Andrade, Marshall

Subs (all used): Gale, Bell, Sanderson, Sharp

18th Player: Izumi

Tries: Wood (2’), Roberts (8’), Partington (15’, 21’), Owen (25’, 65’), Kershaw (29’), Sharp (35’), Renouf (38’), Hetherington (42’, 69’), Stanley (75’), Marshall (78’)

Goals: Stanley (9/13)

Featherstone: Waters, Lamb, Prescott, Johnson, Carr, Bryer, Grace, Mannion, Blackburn, Churm, Watt, Davies, Billington

Subs (all used): Smith, Harrison, Courtney, Kennedy

18th Player: Eastwood

Tries: N/A

Goals: N/A

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