A HAT-TRICK of tries by St Helens prop Shona Hoyle ended Warrington Wolves Women’s dreams of appearing at Wembley.

The home team powered to a 36-0 win despite missing stars like Jodie Cunningham and Chantelle Crowl in the quarter-final of the Betfred Challenge Cup at the Totally Wicked Stadium.

Warrington had little answer to the power of Saints through the middle but had enough possession on the Saints line to have at least registered on the scoreboard.

Warrington started the brightest and forced a drop-out from straight from the kick off, but a knock-on from winger Georgia Sutherland set the pattern of the game as time and time again, The Wire made a mistake close the line when it seemed easier to score.

The home team took advantage of another mistake to send winger Lucie McColm in for the first of her two tries on eight minutes.

With the conversion missed, it looked like Warrington had levelled the scores when Sammy Simpson – playing her 50th game for The Wire – crashed over in the corner only for the referee to harshly rule she had lost the ball.

And two minutes later, the home team took full advantage when a break by second rower Paige Travis – who ran hard all afternoon – ended in Darcy Stott cashing in under the sticks to make the conversion a formality for Amy Taylor.

Poor handling and a lack of discipline were to cost the visitors as they tried to find a way back into the game and Saints took full advantage to go into the break at 16-0, with McColm grabbing her second after Wire were caught offside.

Wire looked up for the fight after the restart with Claire Mullaney and Abigail Latchford coming off the bench to join Amy Daniels in making some hard metres down the middle.

But any hopes of a comeback were dashed on 50 minutes when Simpson looked to have cleanly caught a kick along the line but was adjudged to have knocked the ball on.

Saints did what they had been doing all afternoon and punished the mistake, with Hoyle going over for her first of the afternoon.

Hoyle ended the game as a contest when she punished some weak tackling to cross in the 62nd minute despite a period of domination from the visitors, with both Mullaney and strong-running second rower Kacy Hayley trying to make inroads into the St Helens defence.

A try from Eboni Partington, who scythed through the Warrington defence on 70, and Hoyle’s hat-trick try in the dying seconds of the game added gloss to the scoreline and see St Helens through to the semi-finals.

Wolves: Michelle Davis; Abigail Johnston, Sammy Simpson, Shannon Stephens, Georgia Sutherland; Lucy Eastwood, Charlie McGraw; Armani Sharrock, Grace Ramsden, Amy Daniels, Katie May Williams, Kacy Hayley, Georgia Westwood. Subs: Ellie Jelves, Emily Downs, Claire Mullaney, Abigail Latchford