Whitehaven 26 Batley Bulldogs 12: Bulldogs end season with crushing defeat

The Bulldogs already knew they had missed out on the play-offs after Sheffield beat Leigh on Thursday but Karl Harrison's charges were simply no match for Whitehaven.

The home side ran in four first-half tries. The first came from Scott McAvoy, who broke clear and ran 60 meters from a scrum.

Leeds's prop Kyle Amor got the second score from close range after a great offload from Danny Barker, with Dylan Skee converting, as he did when teenage winger Loz Hamzet crossed from close range. Spencer Miller's try just before the interval – again converted by Skee – made a second-half comeback improbable.

But Harrison's side came out with his words ringing in their ears and did force their way back into the game.

First Johnny Campbell reduced the deficit after a break by Kris Lythe which caught the home side napping; Paul Handforth adding the conversion.

Sean Hesketh then charged over from close range for a try converted by Gareth Moore.

Hesketh almost scored a carbon copy just two minutes later, after a 40/20 from Handforth put the Bulldogs back on the attack, but he was held up over the line.

The home team made the game safe when prop Brad Crellin stripped the ball in a one- on-one tackle near the Batley line before racing away to score.

Whitehaven: Ackerley, Hamzat, McAvoy, D. Miller, Rossi, Joe, Skee, Thornley, Mattinson, Hill, S. Miller, S. Fox, Backer. Substitutes: Smith, Crellin, Amor, Wilton.

Batley: Preece, Campbell, Barlow, Maun, L. Greenwood, Handforth, Moore, Smith, Lythe, Hesketh, Walton, J. Gallagher, Lindsay. Substitutes: Govin, Potter, Martin, Tootill.

Referee: M Thomason (RFL).