It wasn't an easy job to pick the game of round twenty-two of the Kingstone Press Championship.

Over nine thousand were at Odsal for the top of the table clash between Bradford Bulls and Leigh Centurions but with both clubs already qualified for the Middle Eights there was much more at stake at the early kick-off at Doncaster where Halifax were the visitors and the second of the Keepmoat double header when Sheffield Eagles faced Featherstone Rovers.

London Broncos needed a win at Workington to keep their outside chance of a top four finish alive and if Halifax did slip up then Dewsbury needed a win at Whitehaven to stay in contention, at least mathematically.

Halifax made easy work of Doncaster in the two o'clock game in keeping the hosts scoreless while they ran in nine tries, eight of them converted by Tyrer. It was only 18-0 at half time with tries from Manning (2) and Tyrer but the damage was done in the second half when Saxton, Tyrer, Bracek, Johnston and Maneely (2) added to the tally for a 52-0 victory which lifted them to third, at least until the Sheffield v. Featherstone game.

London Broncos realistic challenge for the Middle Eights was ended by Workington Town who led all the way from the tenth minute and upset the visitors with a 29-18 win. First half tries from Horton and Phillips were answered by Hellewell for London but second half tries from Tierney and Coward along with two Forber penalties and a Sammut drop goal neutralised ties from Keyes and a second from Hellewell.

Bradford an Leigh fought out a humdinger of a 36-36 draw at Odsal, a game in which the lead changed hands on five occasions. Pitts and Caro (2) scored in the first half for the Bulls and were answered by Morton and Conroy for Leigh giving an interval score of 20-12. Addy and Blythe, answered by Worthington, Pownall and Brierley made it 32-30 to Bradford with thirteen minutes to play. The Centurions edged into the lead on seventh when Pownall completed his hat-trick but Caro responded for the Bulls to level the scores at 36-36 with Shaw missing the final conversion to leave the sides level at the hooter.

With the Halifax win it meant that Dewsbury Rams outside hopes of a top four were extinguished, despite a 34-16 win at Whitehaven. Morton and Conroy for Dewsbury against a single Hulme try put the visitors 12-6 ahead at half time. Calvert reduced the margin to just two after the break but Hale, Adamson and Morton with his second made it 28-10. A consolation for Davies just spurned Dewsbury into a Farrell try for an eighteen point win.

Already out of Middle Eights reckoning, Batley and Hunslet played out a high scoring encounter in the Wesy Yorkshire derby. Brown, Blake, Hesketh and Lillycrop all score first half tries for Batley while Casey, Lee and Watson got over the whitewash for the visitors for a half-time score of 22-18. Second half Hunslet tries from Yates and Lee could not compete with the four from Batley thanks to Blake, Day, Squires and Chandler. Leatherbarrow added to his six conversions with a seventy-eighth minute drop goal to seal a 45-28 win.

In terms of the race for the top four, the late kick-off between Sheffield and Featherstone was the most likely to answer the crucial questions. Featherstone took the lead through Minns and Sykes for a 10-0, before Knowles, Straughier and Worrincy registered tries for Sheffield and gained their side an 18-10 half-time lead. Yere extended the Sheffield lead but Maitua and Minns pegged them back. Worrincy made it 26-20 before Minns completed his hat-trick to get Fev back within two. A sixty-ninth minute converted try from Yere seemed to have sewn it up for the home side but Minns wouldn't go away and his fourth try of the afternoon set up a nail biting finish with seven minutes left. Smeaton went over three minutes from the final hooter to give Sheffield a ten point lead and 38-28 and secure Middle Eights for themselves and Halifax, condemning Featherstone to the Bottom Eights.