RUGBY LEAGUE ROUND-UP : Offiah's Wigan hat-trick

ROUND-UP

Wigan, the Challenge Cup holders, crushed Batley 70-4 to continue their quest for an eighth successive Wembley triumph.

Martin Offiah scored a hat-trick of tries in the first 38 minutes to help Wigan to an 46-0 lead at the interval. Frano Botica, who had a spell in the blood bin for treatment to a head wound, still managed 10 goals from 11 attempts. Henry Paul scored two tries and three goals.

Batley hardly worried the Wigan defence at all, their misery completed when their scrum-half, Glen Tomlinson, was sent to the sin-bin for holding down.

In the other Challenge Cup fifth-round ties, however, Wigan's 11 tries were bettered by Workington, who ran in 17 in a 94-4 demolition of Leigh. Dean Marwood scored a club record-equalling 13 goals and 42 points in Workington's biggest-ever win, beating the 78-0 thrashing of Highfield two years ago.

Jim Fallon scored four tries in Leeds's 44-14 win over Ryedale-York. His best score came eight minutes after the break, when he ran almost the length of the field after intercepting a wayward pass.

Hull KR had Nick Halafihi and Andy Thompson sent off as they lost 18- 14 at home to Whitehaven. They finished the match with just 10 men, having had Garry Brown, Mike Fletcher and Mike Bibby sent to the sin-bin.