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Match Report- Batley Bulldogs 18-10 Dewsbury Rams

Match Report- Batley Bulldogs 18-10 Dewsbury Rams

Mount Pleasant

FT- Batley Bulldogs 18-10 Dewsbury Rams

In what was the first derby of the season it was a tough occasion on a bitterly cold Good Friday evening. It turned out to be a very frustrating performance from the Rams, which ended in defeat.

Dewsbury started off the better when Dale Morton ran 90 metres to score the opening try on the eighth minute, Paul Sykes was unable to add the extras.

The game then turned as Batley began to dominate, the home side soon scored a try of their own on the 25th minute. Wayne Reittie went over the whitewash in the right hand corner, Patch Walker couldn’t add the extras as the scores went to 4-4.

Batley quickly got a second try through Brad Day, a simple pass from Walker split the Rams defence to send Day through to score. Walker converted for more points to put the home side into the lead.

Just before half time, Sykes kicked a 45 metre penalty for the Rams which put the score 10-6 to Batley going into the break.

The first 20 minutes of the second half were a non-event, and although the play was scrappy it was the home side who were playing the better rugby. A mixture of poor Rams play and sloppy mistakes meant that the Bulldogs were camped in the Rams half for the third quarter of the game.

That persistent pressure on the Rams back line from Batley eventually paid off when ex-Rams player Jason Crookes grabbed a try on the 62nd minute. Walker converted to make the score 16-6.

Rams fans thought they might be in for late drama when in the 75th minute Rob Worrincy scored in the right hand corner after Josh Guzdek passed to him. That put the score to 16-10, as Sykes missed the conversion.

The final action of the game came when the home side gained a penalty in the 77th minute, Walker kicked for two to stretch Batley’s lead to 18-10.

In what was a frustrating evening for Neil Kelly’s men, the Rams have the chance to bounce back quickly as they face Halifax at home on Monday.