YORK City Knights stormed back to the top of Betfred League One as another scintillating performance rattled up another huge win at Bootham Crescent.

Their previous home match saw that world record 144-0 rout of West Wales Raiders.

This time fellow minnows Hemel Stags were put to the sword, James Ford’s men playing with pace and purpose throughout to notch a ninth straight league win with another 16 tries in a 90-0 romp.

It was the third-highest victory in York RL history – with dual-reg half-back Matty Marsh leading the way with four tries including a 12-minute hat-trick and winger Ash Robson also ending with a treble.

The Knights had needed a 60-point win to go back above Bradford Bulls on points-difference and, even after topping that tally, there was no let-up as they sprinted to scrums almost as quickly as they sprinted up the field.

Moreover, the hunger in defence which kept the Stags to nil was almost as pleasing as the unstoppable attacking play.

Unlike in the victories at Hunslet and Coventry, there was no lacklustre spell which allowed their opponents back into contests. The intensity that boss Ford had demanded lasted the course, allowing the team to freely enjoy themselves in attack.

Ford had elected not to field Will Jubb 24 hours after his starring role in England Universities’ 40-0 win over New Zealand.

With Andy Ellis not risked and Harry Carter still on the comeback trail, that left some pressure on Featherstone loanee Dan Maskill as the only hooker in the 17. He capped a good job with a try.

There were returns for dual-reg Hull KR pair Will Dagger and Marsh, the reshuffle allowing Ben Cockayne to switch to the wing in place of top scorer Judah Mazive who rested a minor knock.

Included in Hemel’s team were veteran former York utility player Mark Barlow and Blake Broadbent, son of former Great Britain prop Paul, the Knights’ first-ever coach when the club re-formed back in 2003.

They also had current Knights prop Rory Dixon in their pack, the youngster allowed to play on loan against his parent club. He did okay too.

Head coach Dean Thomas also hails from the Minster city, being a cracking winger for his hometown club in his day.

The Knights’ scoring began after just two minutes 40 seconds, with a try in their first set.

Veteran winger Cockayne made it, handing off men and then firing a ball out of the tackle for Dagger to touch down.

Connor Robinson booted the first of his 13 conversions – increasing his lead at the top of the league’s goal-scoring charts.

The hosts thought they had a second try when Maskill shot in from dummy-half but young ref Joe Stearne reckoned prop Adam Robinson obstructed the defence after playing the ball.

It wasn’t long before the next try did arrive, though.

Robson won a penalty and then finished the move in the resultant set, sent into the left corner by Dagger’s fine cut-out pass.

Then Connor Robinson dummied through and handed off full-back Marcus Elliott, the defence caught out by the half-back’s various options.

It became 22-0 on 25 minutes as Marsh got his first. York had an extra man on the right edge, and centre Joe Batchelor used Cockayne as a foil before passing inside to Marsh.

Two minutes later, sub prop Chris Siddons put his head down and touched down over the line despite appearing held up.

The Stags, having opened with enthusiasm, were now looking defeated, Mike Kelly bursting home to make it three tries in six minutes.

It soon became four in nine as the speedy Dagger picked up a loose ball near his own line and streaked 90-plus metres to the other end. It made Elliott look foolish – the visiting full-back having turned his back on the action, not realising Louis Sheriff’s scrappy offload was about to hit his ankles. He gave chase in vain.

Dagger, highly rated at Hull KR, had flitted in and out in his Knights debut against Hunslet but he looked the part here.

At 38-0 up, York began the second half sloppily when allowing the kick-off to bounce out.

Cockayne was dubiously deemed to have knocked a kick dead, too, to give the Stags a repeat set and young Stearne annoyed the elder statesman again when not penalising the visitors at a play-the-ball, instead penalising Cockayne for pointing the transgression out.

However, York’s defence forced errors – the Stags going closest when Alex Williams was held up over the whitewash - and the scoring restarted at the other end on the back of a home penalty.

Robson got it, Dagger again with the assist after joining the line.

Kelly soon got his second try, too, touching down Robinson’s clever little kick.

Marsh quickly got his second and third tries on the end of super sets to which the visitors had no answer - his hat-trick try putting Ford’s flamboyant team top of the league, now 60-0 up just before the hour mark.

Maskill then got over from acting-half – a fifth try in a blistering 12-minute salvo.

Ref Stearne bizarrely awarded a knock-on under the restart but made amends when ruling out a Hemel try on the back of it, spotting a forward pass.

Back at the other end, skipper Tim Spears fought his way over, before Marsh got his fourth try, steaming onto a kick to finish with style.

Hemel continued to seek a consolation but had another try ruled out for a forward pass.

Instead, Batchelor got his regulation score after shrugging off defenders and, when the hooter sounded, Robinson superbly chipped ahead and Robson won the race to complete his treble.