York City Knights Ladies continued their journey towards back-to-back Challenge Cup final appearances with a 4-76 win over the Bradford Bulls at Odsal.
The Knights ran in eight tries in the opening forty minutes with Olivia Wood and Kelsey Gentles both scoring hat tricks as the Knights came away victorious.
It took the Knights just five minutes to open the scoring thanks to Grace Field who managed to power her way over the try line after an assist by Olivia Wood.
In the seventh minute, Wood went from try provider to try-scorer as a freak try came about when a high kick from Katie Langan hit the posts and bounced perfectly into the hands of Wood who touched down to make it 0-12 after Olivia Whitehead converted both of the tries.
Former Bradford player Andrade went over for the Knights’ third try of the afternoon on the 12-minute mark after a sweeping play down the left-hand edge to make it 0-16.
Field grabbed her second try of the afternoon when she found her way down the middle breaking through the Bulls defensive line to score under the posts on the 14-minute mark with Whitehead converting to make it 0-22.
Lindsay Anfield’s side continued to punish the hosts with Wood grabbing her second of the game after going through the middle in a near replica to the previous try scored by Field with Whitehead extending the scoreline to 0-28 after just eighteen minutes.
The Knights scored three more unanswered tries in the first half with Tamzin Renouf, Georgia Taylor, and Georgie Hetherington all finding the try line as the Knights took a 0-40 lead at halftime.
After starting the game on the interchange bench, Kelsey Gentles took to the field in the second half and it proved to be a change that would leave an impressive stamp on the fixture.
It took just sixty seconds for Gentles to get on the scoresheet for the Knights as she stormed her way down the touchline scoring in the corner to make it 0-44.
Renouf scored her second try of the game in the 43rd minute to make it 0-48.
Bradford got themselves on the scoresheet with Jamie-Leigh Scott finding the try line after the Bulls used their determination to get through the otherwise solid Knights defence. The conversion was missed and the score remained 4-48.
In the 57th minute, Wood crossed over for her hat trick try, racing through the Bulls defence like a knife through butter.
Ashleigh Hyde found the try line on the hour mark racing over in the corner following a well-timed pass from Renouf which saw the Knights take a 4-58 lead.
Captain Langan found the try line just two minutes later on the 65-minute mark, Whitehead once again converting.
Gentles grabbed her second of the afternoon in the 67th minute with Whitehead kicking the goal before Gentles sealed her hat trick in the 75th minute when she strolled over to make it 4-74 with a final conversion from Whitehead sealing a 4-76 victory at Odsal.
BRADFORD BULLS LINE UP: Emily Heaps, Lily Williams, Katie Whelan, Jamie Leigh-Scott, Hannah Donald, Millie Bell, Amy Boardman, Abigail Pinder, Evie Kilburn, Hannah McPherson, Alice Fisher, Bailey Alexander, Ebony Haley.
INTERCHANGES: Chloe Wainwright-Morley, Olivia Sykes, Cara Cookland, Kirstie Musgrave.
TRIES: Jamie-Leigh Scott (49)
GOALS: None
YORK CITY KNIGHTS LINE UP: Olivia Whitehead, Bettie Lambert, Georgia Taylor, Tamzin Renouf, Savannah Andrade, Olivia Gale, Katie Langan, Grace Field, Hollie Dodd, Emma Kershaw, Daisy Sanderson, Georgie Hetherington, Olivia Wood.
INTERCHANGES: Jasmine Bell, Mary Tiplady, Kelsey Gentles, Ash Hyde.
TRIES: Grace Field (5, 14) Olivia Wood (7, 18, 57) Savannah Andrade (12) Tamzin Renouf (30, 43) Georgia Taylor (35) Hetherington (38) Kelsey Gentles (41, 68, 75) Ash Hyde (60) Katie Lanagan (63)
GOALS: Olivia Whitehead 8/15
