YORK Valkyrie maintained their unbeaten start to the Betfred Women’s Super League season in front of a healthy crowd at the LNER Community Stadium with a 44-4 triumph over Warrington Wolves.

Lindsay Anfield’s charges kicked off day two of the Betfred Championship Summer Bash with another comfortable victory, but by no means was it a vintage performance from the title favourites.

There were errors aplenty for both sides in a fierce encounter, with tensions threatening to spill over after a number of tackles went unpunished – but no cautions were brandished by the referee.

A test against tougher opponents was just what the Valkyrie needed after sailing through into the Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup and Finals Day of the Women’s Nines, with Warrington stern opposition.

York were without second rower Lacey Owen but were able to welcome back England international Grace Field from injury, and were also able to call upon former Super League Shield winner Sade Rihari from among the interchanges.

Both sides struggled to make headway in the first four tackle sets, but it was the Valkyrie who made another of their characteristic fast starts to cross for the opening try with just six minutes played.

Returning second-rower Savannah Andrade stripped the ball from Warrington in a tackle on the 40-metre line, with York capitalising on that field position to spread the ball right through Tara Jane Stanley to Liv Whitehead, who dodged a tackle before diving across into the right corner.

Stanley made no mistake to arrow her conversion through the posts from the right touchline in the first of six successful kicks.

York looked to have been caught out two minutes later when Stanley’s penalty failed to find touch but instead extended their lead after a moment of magic saw the prolific full-back make something from nothing to again send Whitehead over for her brace in similar fashion to her first.

But Warrington did not give up and hit back in the 18th minute after taking advantage of a head-high tackle from Georgie Hetherington to break forwards, Lucy Eastwood muscling her way over to the right of the posts after her teammate had been held up on the line.

Rhiannion Marshall came close to extending the Valkyrie’s advantage after breaking through the Wolves defence to the 30-metre line, but the supporting Stanley was unable to hold onto her offload.

However, the Valkyrie were soon across the whitewash for a third time, captain Sinead Peach bursting through the Warrington defence to deliver a cut-out pass for Stanley, who dived over beneath the posts before converting her own score.

Whitehead missed a glorious opportunity to complete her hat-trick five minutes before the interval after being found by Stanley, but the youngster couldn’t hold onto the pass, the ball instead rolling out of play on the 10-metre line to send them into the interval with a 16-4 advantage.

Georgia Taylor twice came close to adding her name to the scoresheet inside the opening five minutes of the second half, before Marshall was held up underneath the posts after a ferocious forward drive.

But those proved to be warnings that Warrington didn’t heed, with Peach crashing over for the first try of the second half in the 54th minute, collecting Jas Bell’s pass after a sensational drive forward from Liv Wood.

Stanley missed the chance to fire York into a 20-point advantage after opting to kick a penalty from 20 metres, but Anfield’s side did further extend their lead with 16 minutes remaining as top-scorer Tamzin Renouf was left in acres of space to ground a Field pass into the left corner.

Tempers began to flare again when Peach believed that she had been held too long in a tackle, but they were left celebrating less than a minute later after Stanley twisted and turned her way beneath the posts after collecting Hetherington’s reverse pass.

And York were across the whitewash again from the restart, as Marshall showed great strength to shrug off two tackles, forcing her way across the line to touch down behind the posts.

There was still time for the Valkyrie to add gloss to the scoreline with 45 seconds left on the clock in stunning fashion, Hetherington breaking through the Wolves line before charging forward 30 metres to cross to the right of the posts.

A far from perfect performance but one that York can continue to take positives from ahead of their Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup Quarter Final against Cardiff Demons on June 18, which will be played as a double-header with York Knights.

YORK VALKYRIE: Stanley, Taylor, Kershaw, Hetherington, Whitehead, Peach, Staveley, Andrade, Hendry, Field.

INTERCHANGES: Rihari, Bell, Marshall, Sanderson, Lambert.

TRIES: Whitehead (7, 11), Stanley (26, 73), Peach (54), Renouf (64), Marshall (77), Hetherington (80)

GOALS: Stanley 6/9

WARRINGTON WOLVES: Davis, Johnston, Baggaley, Simpson, Stephens, Eastwood, Magraw, Sharrock, Jelves, Lathchford, Williams, Haley, Westwood.

INTERCHANGES: Ramsden, Courtman, Downs, Roberts, Seddon.

TRIES: Eastwood (18)

GOALS: Davis 0/1

POINTS SEQUENCE: 4-0, 6-0, 10-0, 10-4, 14-4, 16-4, 20-4, 22-4, 26-4, 30-4, 32-4, 36-4, 38-4, 40-4, 44-4.

HALF TIME: 16-4

YORK’S STAR WOMAN: Sinead Peach. The hooker was fantastic again today in front of the Summer Bash crowd, and again found the whitewash. A notable mention too to Marshall, who was fantastic off the bench.