CHESTER re-ignited their National League Two North title challenge with an emphatic 59-12 victory over South Leicester at Hare Lane.

The rampant hosts ended their two-game winless run in style, running in nine tries.

Dominant from the outset, Chester established an early 14-0 lead courtesy of two tries from influential number 8 Shay Owen and two faultless conversions from fly-half James Robbins.

Minutes later and Chester were three tries to the good, with flanker Mike Craven crossing the whitewash.

A dominant 30-minute spell concluded with two further converted scores from scrum half Tom Holloway and prop Al Reed as the hosts went in 35-0 up at the break.

The visitors emerged with more urgency after the break and ran in two scores of their own.

But Chester were relentless in their pursuit of points as Macca Van Sertima surged clear and dotted down before Owen touched down for his hat-trick.

The best try of the game followed soon after when Josh Morris cut through the tiring South Leicester defence to score from almost the halfway line.

Van Sertima sealed the rout with his second of the contest with Robbins’ kicking boosting the winning margin further.

Delighted head coach Jan Van Deventer said: “We dominated from start to finish and it felt like a much-needed performance after last weekend’s defeat.

“We’d trained well all week and took that positive work onto the pitch to deliver a brilliant team performance. The scoreline tells its own story really, but it could have been a bigger winning margin. At times we looked unstoppable and it looked like it could have turned really ugly for South Leicester. All credit to the players, who turned in probably one of their best displays of the season.”

The result pushed Chester up to second and five points behind Hull Ionians, who were 27-19 winners at Huddersfield.

Results: Fylde 54 Stourbridge 10; Leicester Lions 37 Wharfedale 10; Macclesfield 31 Sheffield Tigers 17; Otley 35 Peterborough Lions 5; Preston Grasshoppers 21 Tynedale 5; Sedgley Park 31 Hinckley 10.