Rugby League Round-Up: Wigan stay on song

IT WAS no great surprise that Wigan won at Dewsbury, after all they win everywhere else in the Silk Cut Challenge Cup. Two Joe Lydon tries and the usual immaculate kicking from Frano Botica, who added a try, saw the perennial cup winners to a 20-4 win in yesterday's first round.

All was going well after three minutes for Nottingham City when Tony Chappell dropped a goal. The one point proved rather pointless as Huddersfield proceeded to run in 13 tries on the way to a 66-1 victory.

Halifax also scored 66 points - against Carlisle - but both take second place in the points-scoring stakes to Keighley. They trounced the unfortunate Highfield 86-0, 15 tries seeing them to a record club tally.

Other high scorers were Leeds, even on a heavy Headingley pitch. Barrow had no answer to the pace of the home side, especially in the second half when they came up with three tries in eight minutes.

The closest game in a round not noted for them took place between Hunslet and Ryedale-York. A late fightback in the shape of a converted try by Nick Pinkney cut the margin to 27-20 with two minutes left, but it was not enough for Ryedale-York.

There were no real problem for Bradford Northern - who were defeated last week by Wigan in the Regal Trophy final - in beating Workington 28-18, but they were 12-10 down after 26 minutes. There was another minor scare for a First Division side at Whithaven where Widnes led by just six points with 15 minutes left before a last-minute try by John Devereux, his second, made the tie safe at 20-8.