Dewsbury Rams 14 Batley Bulldogs 30: Summer Bash turns the spotlight on Championship

Diskin had suffered defeat on both his previous visits to Bloomfield Road in Blackpool, where an entire round of matches is staged over two days.

Yesterday’s win over Dewsbury Rams got him off the mark and he insisted: “I am a fan of the Bash in the sense that it gives exposure to the Championship, which it needed.”

But he stressed: “I am not a fan of having an extra round and it can have a really warped effect on the competition.

“Halifax and Bradford are competing for the top-five, along with Sheffield. Halifax and Bradford played each other and Sheffield played Barrow.

“I am not a massive fan of that.”

A classic derby yesterday’s Heavy Woollen showdown was not. The game had few chances and little attacking flamboyance until the final five minutes, when it exploded into life.

First Alistair Leak twisted over from acting-half and in the next set Paul Brearley made a break and Dave Scott was on his shoulder to score. Suddenly, from 18-4 ahead, Batley led 30-4.

As a final scoreline that would have been harsh on Dewsbury, but there was still time for Michael Knowles to go over from close-range and in the final seconds Sam Day ended the game with a moment of outstanding class, chipping over full-back Scott and running through to touch down, Liam Finn converting.

Earlier, Batley had raced 10-0 ahead through tries by Keenan Tomlinson and Jonny Campbell and the first of Louis Joufrret’s five goals.

Andrew Gabriel pulled a try back for Dewsbury before the interval to make it 10-4, but Jouffret landed a penalty soon afterwards and Brearley stretched over to hand total control to Bulldogs.

While there is no discernible point to Super League’s Magic event, which will be held in Liverpool this weekend, the Summer Bash has a sense of purpose.

With every game broadcast live on Sky Sports, it provides a rare afternoon in the spotlight for some of rugby league’s lesser lights, who rarely attract television coverage.

There was also a more noticeably fun ambiance in Blackpool yesterday, stoked by audience participation at half-times including organised sing-alongs and dancing contests in the stands.

By contrast, the atmosphere at Super League’s Magic can sometimes have a nasty edge to it and booze-fuelled crowd trouble is not unknown.

Dewsbury coach Lee Greenwood enjoyed his first experience of the Summer Bash, despite the adverse result.

“It was good,” he said, “But the crowds looked a bit sparse for the earlier games on both days and it’s only just started filling up now [before the final match between Widnes Vikings and Leigh Centurions].

“I think they’d probably be better off doing these things on the Bank Holiday weekend, which they normally do, but they’ve moved the Super League one to there and this one’s been relegated to the week before.

“I think they are good events, but you want decent crowds here as well for all the games so I think that’s something for the RFL to look at.”

This weekend’s total attendance was 15,070, with 7,158 of those turning up on Sunday. Last year’s aggregate was just 11,805.

“We have had two really good days and unlike last year we have had two pretty similar crowds on both days,” said RFL chief executive Ralph Rimmer.

“We’ve had key games at the end of each day and we’ve finished on a high.”

Of the Bash’s future at its current home, Rimmer added: “It is an event people want, we have got some really good offers on the table.

“But I don’t think there’s a lack of enthusiasm for Blackpool in the stadium and people do come and have a great time.”

Batley Bulldogs: Scott, Tomlnson, Smeaton, Wood, Campell, Jouffret, Brambani, Gledhill, Leak, Everett, Brearley, Manning, J Brown. Subs Bienek, Butterworth, Taira, Ward.

Dewsbury Rams: Hooley, Warrincy, Morton, Ryder, Gabriel, S Brown, Finn, Kibula, Mackay, Kilner, Walshaw, Knowles, Field. Subs Day, Igbinedion, Garratt, Andrade.

Referee: M Rossleigh (London).