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Widnes Vikings booked their place in the 1895 Cup final with a resounding win over Hornets, with nine different names on the scoresheet in a 10-try rout.
Widnes wasted no time and opened the scoring after less than five minutes. Moving the ball from right to left across the goal-line, Sam Wilde opened up a gap to score. Jack Owens added the extras.
Wilde thought he had his second not long after as he latched onto the end of a kick over the top of the Hornets defence, but couldn’t ground the ball in time before bouncing into touch.
Just after the 10-minute mark, the lead was doubled as Mike Butt raced away down the wing to touch down.
Hornets’ first foray into Widnes territory came five minutes later. After electing to kick for touch following a penalty just short of halfway, they went close with efforts from Jack Hansen and Tom Ashton, who was thwarted just short of the Vikings line.
The third try for Widnes came just after the midway point of the first half, after a tricky kick from Tom Gilmore forced a goal-line drop-out. From the resulting set, Joe Edge went over unopposed in the corner.
Lewis Hall planted the ball down from close range, before Owens took the lead to 20 points with a simple kick just to the right of the posts.
Jack Billington added his name to the scoresheet four minutes before the break with a near carbon copy to the try scored by Hall. Kicking duties were passed to Edge who added two more points to the total.
Right on the stroke of half time, Kieran Taylor weaved his way through the Hornets defence to add his name to the scoresheet.
Ten minutes into the second half, Danny Langtree sliced through the Hornets defence following a sustained period of pressure on the defensive line. Matty Fozard dragged the conversion attempt across the face of the posts.
If there were any lingering hopes of a Hornets comeback still left, they were quickly extinguished. Following a low kick to the corner from the ever-inventive Gilmore, Wilde pounced to grab his second and his side’s eighth try of the afternoon.
Widnes were in complete control and moments later Jay Chapelhow finished off a swift passing move.
Fifteen minutes from time, Fozard darted out from acting half to duck underneath the defence to score, converting his own try as Widnes brought up a half-century of points.
Hornets did find their way into the Widnes half in the closing stages but couldn’t find a score despite the best efforts of Jamie Dallimore and Jack Hansen.
That proved to be the last action of the game, with Widnes booking their spot in the final.
The end of a three match unbeaten run for Hornets, with a tough test away to high-flying Newcastle Thunder to come next week.
Widnes Vikings: Connell, Butt, Taylor, Edge, Ince, Owens, Gilmore, Murray, Johnstone, Chapelhow, Roberts, Wilde, Hall.
Bench: Fozard, Billington, Langtree, McWhirter.
Tries: Wilde (2), Butt, Edge, Hall, Billington, Taylor, Langtree, Chapelhow, Fozard
Goals: Owens, Edge (3), Fozard (2)
Rochdale Hornets: Flanagan, Boyd, Sa’u, Ashton, Nixon, Dallimore, Hansen, Barratt, Paga, Ioane, Whitmore, Wood, Syme.
Bench: Dayes, Hatton, Kelly-Duffy, Waterworth.
