Sports News

• PICTURES: Saints produce best performance of the season to put themselves back in the title mix

  
  SAINTS put themselves back in the mix of title contenders with arguably their best performance of the season to close the gap on fourth-place to one point.

• No charges arising from Saints clash at Wakefield

  
  THE two incidents flagged up for attention during Saints' game at Wakefield have resulted in no further action.

• Super 8s: Saints know who they will play and where, but when could be a decisive

  
  SAINTS will find out their Super 8s fixture list on Wednesday.

• Town continue pre-season build-up

  
  ST Helens Town continued their build-up to the new season with a demanding friendly at home to Hallmark Security League Championship front-runners Bootle last Thursday.

• Chizzy survives a scare, Smith suffers KO at Matchplay

  
  PHIL Taylor began his final challenge to win the BetVictor World Matchplay title with a 10-5 win over Gerwyn Price in Blackpool on Sunday night, setting up a second round tie with Raymond van Barneveld.

• A mixed bag of events for St Helens Striders

  
  WEEKEND racing this week brought up a mixed bag of events.

• Clock Face pipped in closing minute

  
  A FINAL minute try for Gateshead Storm snatched a 26-22 win from Clock Face Miners in a thrilling game in the north east city.

• Final score: Wakefield Trinity 16 Saints 41

  
  SAINTS produced arguably their best performance of the season to close the gap on fourth-place to one point. A near perfect first half saw them lead 24-6 thanks to tries from Danny Richardson, James Roby, Tommy Makinson and Regan Grace. They had a battle on at the start of the second half before further touchdowns from Louie McCarth-Scarsbrook and Zeb Taia, plus a brace of Mark Percival penalties to add to his perfect conversion rate, saw Saints home. Richardson, who started the scoring, completed it with a drop goal on the hooter.

• Mark Percival talks World Cup, Jamie Lyon and the potency of Regan Grace

  
  SAINTS centre Mark Percival is hoping a good end of season in the Super 8s will dovetail nicely with selection for the autumn’s World Cup – but is happy to bide his time if that does not pan out.

• Amor included in same 19-man squad for Wakefield clash

  
  SAINTS have named an unchanged 19 for Sunday's vital trip to Wakefield Trinity.

• Jack Owens makes Eagles switch permanent while three young Saints depart on loan

  
  SAINTS trio Calvin Wellington, Liam Cooper and Jonah Cunningham have joined Sheffield Eagles on loan for the remainder of the 2017 campaign.

• Five Saints in Wales World Cup squad

  
  THERE are five Saints players in Wales' provisional 38-man train-on squad ahead of Rugby League World Cup 2017.

• 'Give it to Grace' - Holbrook backs Percival to make right calls

  
  'GIVE it to Grace' may sound more like a 1970s sitcom than a terrace chant, but ever since the Welsh flier erupted into the first team on Good Friday those words have not been far from the lips of the expectant supporters.

• Town play first friendly back on home turf

  
  ST Helens Town finally opened their new Ruskin Drive football ground on Saturday with a pre-season friendly against fellow Hallmark Security Football League member club Congleton Town.

• Saints must end Yorkshire hoodoo to close in on leading pack

  
  SAINTS have a glorious chance to move within a point of the top four in the final match of the regular Super League season – but they will have to shake off their away day blues to do so.

• Junior rugby league round-up

  
  National Development Cup Final: Blackbrook Royals U12 4 Orrell St James 14. T: Kyle Sparrow.

• Blackbrook under 16s can't double up cup wins

  
  BLACKBROOK Royals U16s were unable to back up last week’s NWY Cup final win when they took Siddal in the National Cup Final.

• Thatto Heath Under 18s triumph in BARLA National Cup final

  
  THE best two best sides in the North West Counties Youth who had met nine days earlier with Judes edging it by two points, but Thatto Heath Crusaders triumphed in this final 34-18, condemning St Judes to bridesmaids for the fifth consecutive final.

• A quality field head Sprint Cup at Haydock

  
  THE Tin Man, Caravaggio, Limato and Quiet Reflection head the early entries for the 51st running of the Group 1, 32Red Sprint Cup? at Haydock Park, a race that was first established in 1966.

• Thatto knocked out of Challenge Trophy

  
  THATTO Heath dropped out of the Challenge Trophy as West Hull grabbed a narrow 30-28 win at home, writes Andrew Southward.