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The business end of Betfred League 1 is starting to loom on the horizon as round 14 takes place this weekend.

Keighley Cougars are top of the pile with a perfect 100 per cent record and seemingly cruising towards league glory and Championship promotion.

Below the Cougars, five teams are jostling for positions in the play-offs. Swinton Lions, North Wales Crusaders and Rochdale are all tied on 18 points whilst Doncaster are just two further back.

Hunslet occupy the final play-off place and are six points clear of seventh placed Oldham. Although the Roughyeds have a game in hand, they face an uphill battle to force their way into the end of season lottery.

Round 14 starts here in Cornwall on Saturday as Neil Kelly’s ever-improving Choughs face off against Doncaster.

The Dons are in a rich vein of form currently and a magnificent second half performance saw Richard Horne’s charges battle back from 12-6 down to defeat Swinton Lions 26-12 at Heywood Road on Sunday. 

For the Choughs, after a first ever professional win was secured at West Wales Raiders in round 12, last time out Hunslet were the visitors to the Mem.

Cornwall raced into a 12-0 lead thanks to tries from Aaron Jones-Bishop and Tom Ashton. Hunslet battled back to lead 18-12 at the break but Liam Whitton’s converted try early in the second 40 levelled the scores.

But Hunslet, led by Macauley Hallett’s fine treble, kicked on to record a hard-fought victory, but not before Harry Aaronson had scored a spectacular 80-metre intercept try late on.

Looking to build momentum and consistency for the play-offs, Hunslet host basement dwellers West Wales Raiders on Sunday. The Raiders, who prop up the rest, were thrashed 86-0 by title elect Keighley Cougars in their previous match.

Mo Agoro was Keighley’s star with a magnificent four-timer while Nathan Rosebuck, Jake Webster, Charlie Graham and Aaron Levy all grabbed braces in a 16-try romp.

The Cougars travel to the capital looking for a 13th consecutive win tomorrow (Saturday) against a London Skolars side who pushed North Wales Crusaders close in Colwyn Bay last weekend.

Two tries from the Skolars’ outstanding full-back Jarred Bassett meant Joe Mbu’s side were very much in the game after 40 minutes and they only trailed 16-12.

And the destination of two competition points was very much in the balance until the final minutes before Tommy Johnson’s try secured victory for the Welsh outfit.

The Crusaders face a tea time trip to Midlands Hurricanes on Saturday with the Birmingham-based side edged out by Rochdale in a Portway points fest in round 13.

The Hornets swept into an early 22-0 lead and were well in command after 40 minutes. But Midlands, who will have coach Richard Squires back in charge this weekend after he served a Rugby Football League suspension, battled back to push Rochdale close.

Ben O’Keefe was the Hornets’ star with a hat-trick as they eventually prevailed 42-34.

The Hornets will be eyeing second place as they welcome struggling Oldham to Spotland. The Roughyeds are on the verge of drinking in the last chance saloon for a play-off place in 2022.

They know defeat will almost end their chances of any matches beyond the first weekend in September. Nevertheless, victory against their Lancastrian rivals could ignite a late charge towards the top six.