Minchella and Hitchcox lead rout as Bulls back in 100 club

WEST Wales Raiders shipped over 100 points for the sixth time this season as Bradford Bulls maintained the pressure on Betfred League One leaders York City Knights.

Two of those three-figure defeats have come to the Bulls and two of them to York, with the others being against Oldham and Doncaster.

The Bulls scored 19 tries to boost their already superior points difference in comparison to the Knights, who remained two points clear after a 10-6 win at home to Oldham.

Hat-tricks for Bradford came from Elliot Minchella and Jy Hitchcox, while there were braces for Dalton Grant, Callum Bustin, Ethan Ryan and Gregg McNally, and singles for Steve Crossley, Ross Peltier, youngster Matthew Storton, Tuoyo Egodo and Dane Chisholm, with Joe Keyes landing 14 goals.

Some good news for the Raiders, however, was that the attendance of 826 was the largest for a single club game in south or west Wales for six years since South Wales Scorpions against Oldham in 2012 (which was 849).

John Kear promised changes from the 54-4 victory over Keighley Cougars and made seven of them, giving a first start to under-19 Academy star Storton - who made his senior debut off the bench in Toulouse last year - in the second row as well as recalling Hitchcox, Grant, Chisholm, Bustin, George Milton and Liam Johnson.

Hitchcox and Grant paired up on the right flank, while Keyes switched in the half-backs, allowing Chisholm a start.

Jordan Lilley began at hooker alongside Bustin and Liam Kirk, while Milton was at loose forward.

Crossley, the Bulls' 70-minute man, was on the bench alongside Peltier, Johnson and Mikey Wood.

Raiders make only three changes from the side that lost 66-0 to North Wales Crusaders/.

Dean Higgs, James Walter and Connor Parker were selected instead of Phil Cowburn, Fraser Stroud and Steven Parry, who is probably their best player but got married on Saturday and is on honeymoon.

A cool breeze picked up, blowing from the church end of the ground, not long before kick-off and the Bulls kicked off with the advantage of the elements, as could be seen by the first kick from Luke Williams, which rather died.

The visitors won the first penalty and made it count as the ball was moved from left to right for Grant to cross in the corner in the third minute, with Keyes nailing the conversion from near the touchline.

The Bulls conceded the next penalty and had to defend but were able to relieve the pressure with a second penalty of their own.

A good short pass from Chisholm into Bustin's breadbasket enabled him to break through in the ninth minute, and Minchella was on his shoulder to accept the pass out of the tackle and score.

Keyes knocked over the easy goal from in front and he was the instigator of the next try in the 12th minute, breaking through and palming the ball back for Bustin to score.

Keyes' kick made it 18-0.

Chisholm then weaved his way through in midfield but a careless offload gave possession to the hosts.

Alan Pope was one of two Raiders penalised for lying on in the tackle, and Ryan made them pay with his 32nd try of the season, after Egodo put him over in the 16th minute.

Keyes made it four from four with the boot.

Keyes then kicked to the Raiders' left corner and the ball was caught by Sam Baker but it was pinched off him by Minchella, who ran under the posts, and Keyes added the goal in the 20th minute.

A sixth penalty conceded by the hosts was again punished as Hitchcox plunged over on the right three minutes later, and Keyes made it six from six with the boot as the margin was extended to 36 points.

The Raiders came close to a score when interchange Dalton Desmond-Walker got over the line but lost the ball under pressure.

The Bulls' seventh try on the half-hour was a gift as a spiral kick by Chisholm was dropped by Raiders' right winger Liam Silver, allowing Crossley to pick the ball up almost in slow motion and spin out of a tackle to plant the ball down.

Keyes was again successful with the goal, as he was seven minutes later when Peltier accepted a short pass from Chisholm to score the Bulls' eighth try.

Neat footwork by McNally brought him the next Bulls try just before the hooter, and Keyes kept his unblemished record with the boot, leaving the visitors 54-0 to the good at the interval.

Raiders had the advantage of the breeze as the second half started, but it made little difference in the early evidence with neat footwork by Keyes putting over Storton for his first Bulls try in the 43rd minute.

Keyes landed the easy goal.

The Bulls showed their attacking flair from deep with their 11th try as Ryan ran the ball back, cutting through midfield, and Chisholm and Lilley were on hand to give Grant the chance to score his second try of the match on the right.

Seconds later Hitchcox was over in the 50th minute, showing a clean pair of heels to the Raiders defence down the right flank.

For the second successive attempt, Keyes again missed the difficult pot at goal.

Raiders' second and third penalties came in quick succession, and Harrison Elliott went close before Morgan Evans – the hosts' only full Welsh international – scored but only after a double movement, and it was therefore ruled out.

With the Bulls fans singing "West Wales Raiders" in order to encourage the home side, Ryan went over on the left in typical aerial fashion for his second try in the 58th minute.

Keyes re-found his kicking boots by landing the goal from the touchline.

Raiders then forced the first goal-line drop-out of the match but without Parry they did not have the strength nor speed to make it count.

A good Johnson offload then put McNally in for a try in the 63rd minute.

Keyes went close with the conversion attempt but it drifted across the face of the posts.

Johnson needed treatment to his right ankle after making more good yardage and was helped off to be replaced by Minchella.

Seconds later, Egodo was over on the left in the 65th minute but Keyes' goal attempt did not quite have the legs into the wind.

Minchella was next over the whitewash in the 70th minute as the procession continued, and Bustin, still running strongly, was added to the visitors' tally, with Keyes landing both easy kicks.

Chisholm then scored after a Raiders knock on near their line as they were going for an interception, and Keyes brought up the three figures with the kick.

Hitchcox wrapped up proceedings with his hat-trick score in the 79th minute.