Late Brown strike can’t be added to leaving Yorkshire rivals level

Alex Brown’s try on the hooter put the hosts level, but Scott Leatherbarrow couldn’t convert, leaving both sides level.

However, it was Halifax who felt aggrieved at the end of the game having earned a 22-8 lead and looking comfortable before collapsing again, a trait they have shown on more than one occasion during this year’s campaign.

Batley took the lead early on when Brown scored the first of his two tries with a fine individual effort, outpacing and out powering three men to race home from 50 yards.

It took Halifax until the half hour mark to equalise when substitute Keith Holden scampered over from dummy-half before Scott Leatherbarrow’s penalty gave the Bulldogs a slender two point lead at the break.

That advantage was obliterated straight after the interval as Halifax scored three tries in 13 minutes to give themselves a stranglehold of the contest. Luke Ambler, Tommy Saxton and Ryan Fieldhouse all scored soon after one another to give the visitors a comfortable 22-8 lead.

However, they let their dominance slip as Batley responded magnificently. Charlie Martin scored from Ben Black’s pass before the former Halifax scrum-half turned from provider to scorer as he dived over after a flowing Batley move 16 minutes from time.

That left Batley just four points behind, and they levelled with the last play of the game when Brown raced home from Leatherbarrow’s clever kick, with the latter agonisingly missing the conversion.

Batley Bulldogs: Paterson, Reittie, Faal, Chandler, Brown, Black, Leatherbarrow, Smith, Blake, Gledhill, Davies, Scott, Applegarth. Substitutes: Martin, Rowe, Nicholson, Hirst

Halifax: Fieldhouse, Fox, Robinson, Tyrer, Saxton, Murrell, Mennell, Tonks, Kaye, Ambler, Adamson, Divorty, Bracek. Substitutes: Johnston, Holden, Brooks, Spencer.

Referee: W Turley (RFL).