Batley Bulldogs 14 Dewsbury Rams 16: Troubles mounting up for battling Bulldogs

After being deducted three league points for fielding an ineligible player, the game had been billed as a must win for Batley as they slipped into the relegation zone.

However, they were beaten at the death by their Heavy Woollen rivals, with Shane Grady scoring the winner for Glenn Morrison’s side two minutes before the end.

John Kear’s side were rewarded with a try just before the interval, Wayne Reittie scoring after racing onto Scott Leatherbarrow’s kick. Leatherbarrow’s converted.

They extended their advantage five minutes into the second half when Alex Brown picked up a loose pass and raced the full length of pitch to score. Leatherbarrow couldn’t convert.

However, Dewsbury overturned the deficit within 20 minutes.

Scott Hale scored after a neat move down the left before the outstanding Joel Farrell charged over from close range in the 58th minute.

Tom Hemingway kicked one of two conversions before adding a penalty minutes later to nudge Dewsbury ahead.

Batley regained the lead seven minutes before the end when Grady’s knock-on allowed Brown to score his second, however Grady made amends two minutes from the end after grounding Anthony Thackeray’s in-goal kick.

Batley Bulldogs: Greenwood, Reittie, Heaton, Faal, Brown, Blake, Leatherbarrow, Smith, Nicholson, Gledhill, Bretherton, Scott, Chandler. Substitutes: Johnson, Rowe, Applegarth, Davies

Dewsbury Rams: Pryce, Morton, Hellewell, Wood, Buchanan, Hyde, Thackeray, Hepworth, Hemingway, Haggerty, Hale, Grady, Murphy. Substitutes: Farrell, Wright, Spicer, 
Gallagher.

Referee: J Cobb (RFL).