Thunder lose on the road as home is where the points are in League 1

Swinton v Newcastle Thunder

Swinton took a commanding victory against a youthful Newcastle Thunder outfit this afternoon. This was always going to be a tough task for Thunder, made tougher by Alex Donaghy and Evan Lawther not making the starting team after being named in the squad. Hopefully both will be fit when Thunder entertain Rochdale next weekend.

Swinton thoroughly deserved their victory this afternoon but as daft as it sounds there are some shoots of optimism for Thunder fans. Thunder scored two tries and in the bigger picture of looking at small wins that's something to be pleased about given they'd scored one try in five games prior to this. Being 34-6 down at half-time, Thunder could've quite easily capitulated but to their credit they only conceded eighteen points in the second half, again being completely realistic these are things that can be built on.

The try scorers for Thunder were Jake Dickinson, the rangy Northumbria student winger who has looked a threat this season and on loan York man Brads Ward.

For Swinton their commanding 52-10 victory keeps them in the play-off places in third place but only one point behind Midlands. Swinton will look to continue their fine run of form next weekend when they have a tough looking trip to take on Dewsbury. For Thunder we finally have a home game where Rochdale will make the trip to Blaydon. It'll be another tough one for Thunder as Rochdale are chasing down the top four play-off places.

North Wales v Dewsbury

North Wales were victorious against a tough Dewsbury outfit, results elsewhere mean that they're now three points clear with a game in hand following a hard fought 20-6 victory. Dewsbury will take some heart from that performance and know if they can put in something similar next week at home to Swinton they can keep their play-off ambitions alive. North Wales have a weekend off before their second trip of the season to Blaydon to take on Newcastle Thunder in a fortnight.

Goole Vikings v Whitehaven

Performance of the day goes to Goole who took down Whitehaven in a game played at Featherstone. A dominant first half which saw Goole go in at half time 30-0 up meant there was no way back for Whitehaven who lost 56-6. Goole host Keighley next weekend, a team they beat earlier in the season while Whitehaven host neighbours Workington in what will be a highly charged atmosphere.

Workington Town v Midlands Hurricanes

Workington put in another impressive performance seeing off a strong Midlands team 29-12 in west Cumbria. A tight first half saw Workington leading 12-8 at half time. It was 12-12 going into the last quarter but three tries and a Jame Doran drop goal on his 200th appearance for Workington sealed a really good victory for Workington. The result means that Workington sit fourth and Midlands stay in second. Workington can approach their Cumbrian derby with confidence next weekend while Midlands have a weekend off due to their Cornwall game being cancelled and prepare for a tasty looking trip to Swinton in a fortnight.