Will Midwinter got Leek on to the board early with their first try, only for the visitors to respond. But two tries in two minutes from Tom Hayes and Sam Brereton, both converted by Midwinter, saw the blue and whites pull away.

Another score on 30 minutes from skipper Ed Cheadle, plus one from Joe Byrne just before the break, saw Leek looking comfortable with a 33-5 lead, Midwinter having added the extras.

Brenig Hughes put the game beyond Sandbach's reach with a try early in the second period, although the visitors pulled one back after Leek were reduced to 14 with a yellow card for Joel Hine. Byrne's second try and Midwinter's conversion calmed any possible nerves, although Sandbach claimed a consolation score when Lee Williams was sin-binned late on.

Two wins out of two, plus Doncaster's withdrawal from the competition, sees Leek through to a semi-final against Penrith on 4 May.

Meanwhile at Lilleshall Road, Leek 2s won a close contest against Newcastle. The hosts took an early lead with a converted try, but Anton Davidson's score narrowed the gap. Two Jay Wilkinson penalties gave Leek the lead, only for 'Cas to snatch it back with a converted try to make it 14-11 at half time.

An early score after the break put Leek on the back foot, but Wilkinson converted his own try to close the gap again. Tommy Cheadle's score then gave the Moorlanders a lead they refused to surrender. The 23-21 win sees them claim a place in the Staffs Centenary Cup final.

There was more success for our Colts team, 46-0 winners away at Tupton in Derbyshire, while our 3s played their part in a high scoring game away at Sandbach, going down 36-73.