Widnes smash through several club records, in another one sided Championship contest
Widnes blitzed North Wales Crusaders 6-116 as the Vikings cruised past a century of points for the first time in the clubs history. Frank Sergent, Nathan Connell and Danny Richardson bagged hat tricks, whilst Mike Butt helped himself to four tries.
Twenty Widnes tries was scored on the day, with Danny Richardson kicking 18 goals, bringing his total points tally for the afternoon to 48.
He now places himself in the clubs history books, scoring the most points in a game. The record was previously held by Gavin Dodd for 19 years with 38 points scored in a 4-90 victory over Doncaster back in June 2007.
Richardson now also holds the record for most goals in a game with 18. Tim Hartley previously held this record for 17 years with 14 goals in a Challenge Cup match against Saddleworth Rangers back in March 2009.
Widnes also smashed their previous record points victory by 22. The previous record of 90-0 was set in a Challenge Cup home fixture back in 2018 against Coventry Bears.
The Vikings top 10 victory margins
- North Wales Crusaders 6-116 Widnes Vikings – 12th July 2026
- Widnes Vikings 90-0 Coventry Bears – 21st April 2018
- Widnes Vikings 88-0 Saddleworth Rangers – 7th March 2009
- Doncaster 4-90 Widnes Vikings – 10th June 2007
- Widnes Vikings 84-0 Oldham RLFC – 25th July 1999
- Widnes Vikings 90-6 York Knights – 18th February 2001
- Widnes Vikings 82-0 Dewsbury Rams – 30th November 1986
- Widnes Vikings 78-0 Barrow Raiders – 27th February – 2008
- Widnes Vikings 80-4 West Warriors – 11th March 2023
- Thatto Heath 0-76 Widnes Vikings – 25th January 2026
Another damaging day for the Championship
Despite plaudits for a record breaking day for the Vikings, Sunday yet again highlighted the gulf in class between the top of the division and the bottom.
The 2026 Championship merged two divisions together due to League One clubs struggling for regular fixtures. League One of 2025 consisted of 10 teams, with clubs playing 9 home and 9 away fixtures.
Clubs highlighted concerns of a lack of income for home fixtures and as a result it was decided for the 2026 campaign League One and the Championship would merge for the 2026 season.
Concerns early on was apparent with clubs placed in a league structure that resulted in teams unable to play all clubs home and away, however as the season has progressed blow out score lines have captured headlines.
The Championship in its format before 2026 was widely considered as a compelling competition with many twist and turns week to week.
The division has always had heavyweights at the top, however score lines across the division as a whole was largely competitive, with minimal splitting teams, often resulting in Championship play off positions going down to the very last round of fixtures.
The average scoreline in the 2025 Championship was 30-12, and this has already increased to 40-13 in 2026.
On thirteen occasions in nineteen regular rounds teams have been kept scoreless in fixtures. On eight occasions a team has scored more than 80 points in a match.
This is followed by multiple 60 and 70 plus score lines racked up by clubs in 2026.
A review of the Championship and its structure is in desperate need, before season tickets go on sale for the 2027 season.
Blow out score lines of this magnitude and the gulf in class within the division is an ugly image, especially when it comes to attracting new supporters to the current product.
