Underbank Rangers will take on St Joseph’s in this season’s Holliday Cup final.

A week after Joe’s booked their place in the traditional Easter Monday showdown, Underbank followed them into the Laund Hill clash with an impressive 26-4 triumph at Lindley Swifts.

With the Swifts commanding a mid-table position in Pennine League Division I and boasting home advantage, Underbank looked like they had a tough task on their hands, despite the fact they’re riding high at the top of the Second Division.

But with man-of-the-match Luke Pogson leading a magnificent team performance, Rangers were the dominant force in front of a large Birchencliffe crowd for almost all of the contest.

The first 20 minutes proved tight, with Underbank twice having tries disallowed, but they weren’t to be denied a minute before the break when Pogson put up a high bomb for Marc Hirst to pick the pocket of his opposite number and score in the corner to give his side a narrow 4-0 interval advantage.

The second half started as fiercely as the first had finished, and in the 50th minute Rangers worked the ball to the right for Hirst to feed Steven Woodcock for him to score a second unconverted try in the corner.

That, however, jolted Swifts into life, and within seven minutes they have halved the deficit with an unconverted score of their own and looked poised to take command.

But in the 62nd minute and with the home side pounding the Rangers’ line, Pogson made a fantastic judgement and shot out of the line to intercept and race the full length of the field to score and then added the conversion to make it 14-4.

Rangers were back in control and, six minutes later, Pogson kicked through and dived over to extend the advantage.

And with five minutes remaining, Bank landed the final killer blow, with Pogson and Tom Stringer combining to create a space for Jayden Covell-Wood to cut back inside and score by the posts to seal a superb success,

It was also another good day for Meltham All Blacks, who maintained their Pennine League Division VI West title challenge with a 42-0 home win over mid-table Greetland All Rounders A.

It was Meltham’s first home game in four weeks and they couldn’t have marked the occasion in better fashion, taking their lead on their first attack when a superb ball from Steve Farrell found wingman Harvey Hindle in space to score in the corner,

The visitors pressed hard to get on level terms, but Meltham’s defence held firm, and when Greetland dropped the ball on the meltham line Matty Carter picked the ball up and ran 90m to put the ball down under the posts.

The All Rounders were now struggling to get out of their half and it was no surprise when Meltham extended their lead when Ben Moorhouse picked up a loose ball and stretched out to put the ball down and make it 16-0 at the break.

Playing downhill in the second half, it was one-way traffic.

Little Badger Cider Company man-of-the-match Carter was the first to extend the lead followed by further tries from Dave Roebuck, Dave Farrell, Andy Lambert and Adam Lodge, with Andy Farrell kicking five goals.

RESULTS

Huddersfield ARL Holliday Cup. Semi-final: Lindley Swifts 4 Underbank Rangers 26.

Bradford ARL Jack Senior Memorial Trophy. Semi-finals: Queensbury 16 Odsal Sedbergh 4, Victoria Rangers 10 West Bowling 36.

Bradford ARL Hudson Foster Trophy. Semi-finals: Victoria Rangers A 30 Odsal Sedbergh A 8, West Bowling A 0 Queensbury A 44.

Halifax ARL Joe Blackford Memorial Cup. Round I: King Cross Park A 0 Worth Village 18 (Walkover).

Wakefield & District ARL Open Cup. Round II: Normanton Knights 68 Eastmoor Dragons 10, Upton 112 Ryhill Hammers 0.

Pennine League. Premier Division: Fryston Warriors 56 Queens 16.

Championship I Division: Batley Boys 48 Allerton Bywater 12, Brotherton Bulldogs postponed Bentley Good Companions, Morley Borough 40 King Cross Park 0, New Earswick All Blacks 28 St Joseph’s 10, Newsome Panthers 8 Doncaster Toll Bar 42.

Division I: Boothtown Terriers 32 West Leeds 12, Sharlston Rovers A 16 Ossett Trinity 12, Siddal 44 Dalton 16, Stainland Stags 30 Cutsyke Raiders 0.

Division II: Greetland All Rounders 18 CK Vikings 18.

Division III: Clayton 30 Crigglestone All Blacks 0, Whinmoor Warriors 14 Kinsley Raiders 18, Woodhouse Warriors 30 Stanningley 0.

Division IV: Farnley Falcons 20 Dewsbury Celtic 34, Selby Warriors 32 Emley Moor 12, Sherburn Bears 0 Crofton Cougars 30, Wortley Dragons 0 Dearne Valley Bulldogs 30.

Division V: East Leeds 30 Moorends Thorne Marauders 18, Hanging Heaton 31 Keighley Albion 10, Hollinwood 30 Brighouse Rangers A 18.

Division VI East: Allerton Bywater A 34 Beeston Broncos 6, Dewsbury Moor A 26 Halton Moor Storm 10, Doncaster Toll Bar A 20 Drighlington A 56.

Division VI West: Cowling Harlequins post Wyke A, Meltham All Blacks 42 Greetland All Rounders A 0, Queensbury B 40 Boothtown 6.