Batley Bulldogs 28 Dewsbury Rams 0: Bulldogs up and running with stylish win over neighbours

Not only did they produce five cracking tries to delight their supporters but they were able to rub salt into the wounds with an unyielding defensive display which nilled the visitors.

Such an outcome seemed unlikely when Batley made a mess of the kick-off and were pinned in their own half for lengthy periods of the first half by the aggressive running of the Rams’ pack, especially prop Keegan Hirst.

The Bulldogs threatened to score with thwarted moves from Ian Preece and Alex Brown but the stalemate was finally broken after 24 minutes with a darting run from centre Daley Williams who reached out to score.

Three minutes later, lively loose forward Ash Lindsay swivelled repeatedly in the tackle to go over for a touchdown converted by Gareth Moore.

Control of the game was seized by his half-back partner Paul Handforth within two minutes of the start of the second half as he evaded desperate defenders to touch down between the sticks and he continued to keep the Rams under pressure with his long tactical kicks.

It paid off as lively Preece, given the ball 30 metres out, outwitted the defence with an arcing run to score near the posts, and clever running from Jason Walton brought him the final try just a minute from time.

Batley coach Karl Harrison said that while he was naturally pleased with the win he was seeking much better attacking cohesion from his side. Rams coach Warren Jowitt could not explain how lots of promise in pre-season games had simply evaporated into thin air.

“Batley simply played us off the park,” he said.

Batley Bulldogs: Campbell; Reittie, Williams, Maun, Brown; Handforth, Moore; Smith, Preece, Hesketh, Manning, Bretherton, Lindsay. Substitutes: Toohey, Walton, Martin, Toothill.

Dewsbury Rams: Craven; Wainwright, Cosgrove, Turner, Buchanan; Tansey, Brambani; England, Blake, Hirst, Spicer, Lockwood, Tonks. Substitutes: Menzies, Horton, Faal, Bolger.

Referee: C Sharrad.