Women’s Super League: Huddersfield hammer Leigh as St Helens edge York

Amelia Brown delivered a virtuoso six-try display to race clear at the top of the Women’s Super League try-scoring charts as Huddersfield Giants demolished Leigh Leopards 68-0 at Laund Hill.

The Giants full back was unstoppable against a bedraggled Leopards side racking up hat-tricks in both halves as the hosts ran riot, six tries taking Brown to 23 for the season.

The pick of her scores was her second just after the half hour when Brown returned a Leigh kick the length of the field to go over.

Brown had plenty of company on the scoresheet as Huddersfield rattled in tries every few minutes once Brown set the ball rolling on nine minutes going over on the left edge.

Maddie Hutchison and Mollie Iceton both helped themselves to two each with Liv Gale, Grace Hobbs and Tara Moxon all scoring.

Leigh face bottom club Barrow Raiders at home next Saturday with the loser set to play the relegation play-off match against the winners of the National Championship second-tier competition.

The match, labelled the Promotion Play-Off Final, will take place on the Women’s Grand Final undercard on Sunday, 27 September.

At the other end of the table St Helens kept Grand Final hopes alive with a much-needed and hard fought 14-10 Super Four win against York Valkyrie at the LNER Community Stadium.

Victory drew Saints level on points with Valkyrie in the battle for third spot and a semi-final against Leeds with a game to come.

If Saints beat Leeds away next Saturday and York fail to beat still unbeaten table-toppers Wigan, they can steal third off Valkyrie on the final round of the Super Four stage.

Both sides scored two tries with Adaoha Akwiwi going in early for York, Katie Mottershead and Shona Hoyle-Holdsworth responding for Saints and Izzy Brennan scored late on for the hosts.

Yet it was the kicking game that decided it with Tara-Jane Stanley only one of York’s tries Faye Gaskin for Saints converting twice and adding a penalty just after the hour.