Featherstone 14-12 Batley
West Yorkshire Kingstone Press rivals Featherstone and Batley played a hum dinger yesterday at the Big Fellas Stadium. A Kyle Briggs penalty goal was the difference between the both sides who shared two tries each.
Batley started off the strongest between the championship rivals and it showed as Dave Scott dived over to open the scoring thanks to great work from forwards Keegan Hirst and James Brown before Cain Southernwood found Scott to dive over, Pat Walker added the extras to put the Bulldogs six up.
Featherstone playing down the slope found themselves on Batley’s line and it took an Anthony Thackeray kick who found Ash Handley who beat Shaun Ainscough to score in the corner, Briggs equalled it up with a goal. Three minutes Rovers hit a lead they wouldn’t lose in the afternoon thanks to a Briggs pass which set up Taulapapa who beat Squires to score, Briggs added his second goal of the game. Shortly after Squires was stretched off with a leg injury but neither side scored before the break.
Featherstone 12-6 Batley
Batley were coming down the slope in the second half but it was Rovers who scored first with the boot of Briggs as he added a penalty. Batley were close to getting back into the game with prop Alex Rowe who was held up before Alistair Leak put the ball down before it was disallowed by referee Woodhead who spoke with his touch judge at the far side.
Batley reduced the score to two points following Adam Gledhill’s neat grubber kick found Wayne Reittie to score in the Corner, Walker added the touchline effort to put the Bulldogs two behind. Both sides defended well in the last fifteen minutes with both sides going short but rovers held out for the win. Rovers coach Jon Sharp described the win as “Ugly” while Bulldogs coach John Kear felt “Five crucial Decisions” went against his side.
Man of the Match: Rovers Ian Hardman Batley Dave Scott
Teams: Rovers Craven, Handley, Hardman, Channing, Turner, Briggs, Thackeray, Griffin
Davies, Bostock, Achurch, Spears, Talulapapa Subs: Tagg, Baldwinson, Ormondroyd Day (Not used)
Tries: Handley Taulapapa Goals Briggs 3/3
Batley: Scott, Reittie, Ulugia, Squires, Ainscough, Southernwood, Brambani, Hirst,
Blake, Brown, Bretherton, Chandler, Walker Subs: Gledhill, Lillycrop, Leak, Rowe
Tries: Scott Reittie Goals Walker 2/2
Referee: M Woodhead Attendance
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