Celtic Crusaders 38 Widnes Vikings 14

Played in torrential rain throughout, Celtic Crusaders earned a superb 38-6 win over Widnes Vikings at the Brewery Field to go temporarily level at the top of the Co-operative National League One table with Halifax.

The Crusaders showed that they had strength in depth for this, their third win over the Vikings this season, in front of yet another excellent crowd with almost 3,600 fans turning up despite the weather and it being a Thursday night.

Going into the match with a string of injuries and with Neale Wyatt only sneaking past a late fitness test on Thursday night, the Crusaders chose not to emulate the Vikings by delving into the transfer market for Super League loan signings. Instead coach John Dixon decided to have faith in the local talent and it was this talent didn