SLAITHWAITE Saracens have taken their next big step on the road to claiming the Pennine League Third Division title with a 40-16 victory at Littleborough.
The home side proved far stronger than their League position suggested, but they were still no match for the in-form Saracens.
Within minutes the visitors were making their presence felt with some excellent work creating the opportunity for Darren Hawkyard to open the scoring.
Hawkyard, left, added a second later in the game, but the star of the show was Richard Flooks who completed a hat trick and landed three goals to finish with an individual points tally of 18.
There were also tries for Mark Boothroyd, Lee Hird and Lee Mason, with Boothroyd adding a fourth Slaithwaite goal.
There was also another crucial win for Newsome Panthers in their bid to lift the Second Division crown.
With Emley Moor involved in the Supplementary Cup, the Panthers moved back to the top with a 42-8 triumph over Boothtown Terriers.
It helped Newsome join Moor on 23 points, although Emley have a game in hand.
Unfortunately, there was a defeat for St Joseph’s in the Premier Division.
Coach Keith Senior’s side were well in the hunt at half-time as they went in level at 10-10 in their clash at Drighlington.
Two tries from Richard Aka and a Neil Barrett goal had put Joes in a healthy position.
But after the break, the home side took control to run out 26-10 winners, meaning coach Keith Senior’s side probably need one more win to guarantee their Premier Division status.
