Featherstone Rovers cemented their place at the head of the Championship table with an impressive 44-4 victory over Halifax at the Bigfellas Stadium.

Rovers were in irrepressible form against opponents who again failed to live up to their billing as pre-season title favourites.

Seven different players scored tries, six of them after the break, as rampant Rovers completed a fifth straight win.

And it was reward for an enterprising attacking display by Featherstone.

Forward Jon Grayshon scored the only try of a tight first half which ended with the home side leading 8-0 with the help of two goals by Kyle Briggs.

But Rovers emerged after the resumption in determined mood, sweeping Halifax away with a one-sided scoring spree which featured tries for Stuart Dickens, Ian Hardman, Jon Steel, Liam Finn, Iain Morrison and Briggs, who goaled every try.

Leigh Centurions delivered a performance rich in authority to complete a 36-6 victory over Toulouse Olympique in France.

The Centurions scored six tries, three in each half, and kept their own line intact until the penultimate minute when Teli Pelo dived in for a consolation try converted by Nathan Wynn.

Tries by Macgraff Leuluai, Dave McConnell and David Armitstead, all converted by Mick Nanyn, took Leigh into an 18-0 half-time lead before further scores from Nicholas Stanton, Stuart Donlan and Adam Higson completed the rout.

Two tries by full-back Ian Preece helped Batley Bulldogs to a 22-8 derby victory over Dewsbury Rams at Mount Pleasant.

In a close match, second-half scores from Preece and Kris Lythe finally saw off the spirited challenge of a Batley side who had stayed in touch with tries by Bryn Powell and Mike Emmett.

Honours were shared at Cougar Park whereKeighley snatched a share of the spoils with a 79th-minute penalty by Danny Jones to deny Sheffield Eagles.

The visitors led 10-2 at the break with tries from Alex Szostak and Sam Barlow and added a third try 10 minutes from the end through Craig Cook to build a strong lead.

However tries by Andy Shickell and Gavin Duffy plus three goals by Jones kept the Cougars in the hunt until Jones's late goal levelled.

Two second-half tries from Martin Ostler helped Barrow come from behind to beat Whitehaven in the Cumbrian derby at a soggy Recreation Ground on Thursday night.

Haven led 8-6 at the break thanks to an eight-point haul from Carl Rudd, who added two goals to his try.

But Barrow, whose lone first-half try had come from winger Andy Ballard, turned it round after the restart.

Ostler crossed twice, both converted by Jamie Rooney, who added a drop goal to seal Barrow's second win of the season.

Victory moved last season's Championship winners up to fifth, having added this latest victory to last Saturday evening's 48-16 win in Toulouse.

York City Knights ran in 12 tries to move top of the table with a crushing 72-14 Good Friday defeat of bottom side Gateshead.

Hat-tricks for full-back Danny Ratcliffe and half-back Jonathan Schofield - the son of former Great Britain player Garry Schofield were the highlight of a one-sided win, which also saw centre Lee Waterman kick 12 goals.

Gateshead grabbed two tries of their own in the second half but efforts from Will Bate and Michael Brown proved scant consolation.

Hunslet stayed in touch with the joint leaders, York and South Wales Scorpions, with a comfortable 54-12 home victory over Doncaster.

Not even the absence of three suspended first team players could unsettle the Hawks, for whom Wayne McHugh scored a first half hat-trick of tries.

Waine Pryce, the former Castleford and Wakefield winger, also touched down twice for Hunslet whose other tries came from player-coach Paul March, Tom Haughey, Michael Mark, Stuart Kain and Richard Knight.

A 68th-minute try by Mark Brocklehurst secured a 22-16 victory for Oldham at Rochdale Hornets, who staged a bold rally after trailing 18-0 midway through the first half.

Matt Ashe, Mick Fogerty and Luke Sutton all scored tries inside the opening half hour for Oldham only for Rochdale to hit back with tries of their own from Craig Johnson, Phil Wood and Gareth Hayes.

London Skolars are still searching for their first win of 2010 after falling to a 42-18 defeat at home by Blackpool Panthers.

Despite taking an early lead with a converted try from Paul Thorman, the Skolars were outplayed by the visitors who ran in eight try themselves, including two each for Carl Forber and Kris Ratcliffe.

Johnny Leather also added 14 points from a try and five goals for Blackpool while London's other try-scorers were Ade Adebisi and Chad Isles.

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