Match Report | York Knights 48-8 Sheffield Eagles
01/06/2025
Sheffield Eagles endured a difficult afternoon in North Yorkshire as they fell to a 48-8 defeat against York Knights at the LNER Community Stadium in the Betfred Championship.
With several key players unavailable for selection, including Cory Aston, Ryan Millar and Jack Mallinson, Craig Lingard was forced to make a number of changes to his side.
There was a welcome return for Jack Walker at full-back, while former Huddersfield Giants winger Jayden Billy was handed his first competitive start for the club. New recruits Martyn Reilly and Jenson Windley, both of whom signed earlier in the week, were also named in the starting lineup for their debuts.
The hosts made a dream start, crossing the whitewash inside the opening two minutes. A slick move out to the left edge was finished in the corner by former Eagles man Ben Jones-Bishop.
Things didn’t get any easier for Sheffield, as York captain Liam Harris grabbed a quickfire brace, extending the Knights’ lead to 16-0 after just twelve minutes.
Despite the early setbacks, the Eagles did find some momentum late in the first half. A well-worked move down the left saw winger Matty Dawson-Jones dive over in the corner to get his side on the scoreboard just four minutes before the break.
That brief resurgence continued into the second half when debutant Windley marked his first appearance with a try only four minutes after the restart. However, any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed when Jones-Bishop crossed for his second try of the afternoon moments later.
From that point on, York took firm control. Jack Martin powered his way over with twenty-five minutes remaining to notch the Knights’ fifth try, followed by a score in the right corner from Joe Brown just minutes later to push the scoreline to 32-8.
The hosts continued to add more points as Sam Cook added a seventh try with fifteen minutes left on the clock, before Jones-Bishop completed his hat-trick with another finish out wide.
The scoring was rounded off in the closing stages when Oli Field touched down, bringing York’s tally to eight tries to seal a 48-8 victory.
The Eagles now face a two-week break before returning to league action with a trip to Cumbria to face Barrow Raiders on Sunday 15th June (3pm kick-off).
York Knights: Mata’afa, Brown, Buchanan, Field, Jones-Bishop, Hingano, Harris, Martin, McShane, Ta’ai, Dee, Bailey, Thompson
Interchanges (all used): Santi, Cook, O’Neill, Hudson
18th Man: Gannon
Tries: Jones-Bishop (2’, 47’, 68’), Harris (5’, 12’), Martin (55’), Brown (60’), Cook (65’), Field (71’)
Goals: Harris (6/9)
Sheffield Eagles: Walker, Billy, Welham, Carter, Dawson-Jones, Gwaze, Windley, Battye, Johnson, Dickinson, Roberts, Billington, Reilly
Interchanges (all used): Butterworth, Hodgson, Broadbent, Peachey
Tries: Dawson-Jones (36’), Windley (44’)
Goals: Walker (0/1), Butterworth (0/1)
Referee: C. Worsley
