Rochdale Hornets suffer heavy defeat as Widnes reach 1895 Cup final

Rochdale Hornets saw their 1895 Cup campaign come to an end after a 52-0 defeat against Widnes Vikings, who booked their place in the final with a dominant performance.

The Vikings ran in 10 tries at the DCBL Stadium to end the Hornets' three match unbeaten run.

Widnes made a fast start and opened the scoring inside the first five minutes when Sam Wilde found space to cross, with Jack Owens adding the conversion.

The home side doubled their lead shortly afterwards through Mike Butt, who raced over on the wing to make it 12-0.

Rochdale responded with a spell of pressure after earning a penalty near halfway. Kicking for territory, the Hornets pushed forward and went close through Jack Hansen and Tom Ashton, but were unable to break through the Widnes defence.

The Vikings extended their advantage midway through the first half when Joe Edge finished in the corner after sustained pressure following a goal line drop out.

Further tries from Lewis Hall and Jack Billington increased the lead before Kieran Taylor crossed just before the break. Rochdale went into half time trailing 32-0 after a one sided opening 40 minutes.

Any hopes of a second half fightback were quickly ended when Danny Langtree powered through the defence to score Widnes' seventh try.

Wilde added his second of the afternoon after reacting quickest to a kick into the corner, before Jay Chapelhow finished off a flowing attacking move.

Matty Fozard completed the scoring with 15 minutes remaining, darting over from dummy half before converting his own try to bring up the 50 point mark.

Despite the scoreline, Rochdale continued to battle and enjoyed periods of possession in the closing stages. Jamie Dallimore and Jack Hansen both looked to create opportunities, but the Hornets were unable to register a score.

The result sends Widnes into the 1895 Cup final, while Rochdale now turn their attention back to league action and a difficult trip to Newcastle Thunder next weekend.