Widnes Vikings 24 Batley Bulldogs 25: Underdogs Batley snatch Cup victory to stun Widnes

Alex Brown's dramatic try in the 78th minute completed a remarkable fightback yesterday to deliver the unfancied Heavy Woollen club a shock victory against holders Widnes Vikings.

It seemed their chance of making history had gone when they blew an early 12-0 lead to trail by nine points with just 13 minutes remaining.

But Karl Harrison's spirited players, many of whom had never featured in a final, produced a stirring effort to rescue the game and finally deliver some silverware for the one of the sport's founder but least successful clubs.

Brown, the powerful winger on loan from Huddersfield Giants, gave them hope with a fine try in the 67th minute.

He cut a perfect line to charge onto Johnny Campbell's well-timed pass from a scrum move and split the Widnes defence.

Gareth Moore's conversion got Batley in touching distance but the crucial score the Championship part-timers required seemed certain to elude them.

Moore's spectacular chip over the defensive line was defused at the last second, Widnes' Paddy Flynn made a desperate tackle on Kris Lythe and Jason Walton was also denied by a thunderous block from Matt Gardner with the Vikings' superior experience coming to the fore.

But Batley created one last chance when a fearsome tackle saw Flynn spill in front of his own posts, epitomising the energy and passion Harrison's side showed throughout.

Moments later, Moore's delicate chip to the corner was brilliantly gathered and finished off in the tightest of circumstances by Brown

Widnes, who have played in three of the last four Northern Rail Cup finals, were stunned while Batley – after an 86-year wait – counted down the seconds for the celebrations to begin. It was the least they deserved. Despite their underdog status, a performance rich in character and effort was rewarded at the death.

They may not have reached the lofty heights of their excellent semi-final victory over Leigh, especially during the first period of the second half when neither side could barely keep hold of the ball.

But the drive and desire inspired by Harrison was evident as they fought back in the closing stages, captain Paul Handforth proving masterful at half-back and well-supported by imposing forwards Sean Hesketh and Tommy Gallagher along with the durable Ashley Lindsay.

Any notion the inexperienced Batley may suffer nerves on such a momentous occasion were quickly dispelled when they raced into an early 12-0 lead.

Handforth, one of the few with big match experience, showed his class by slicing through from a scrum move 15 metres out.

Although Lee Doran just managed to snare the former Wakefield stand-off, he did not do so before Handforth managed to find a pass for the elated Jason Walton to cross between the posts for a fourth-minute try.

Gareth Moore converted and did likewise when Hesketh added their second just four minutes later.

There was a dubious penalty awarded to Batley in the build-up but it mattered little to the explosive prop.

He dived over from close range after collecting Kris Lythe's cut-out pass which fooled the Widnes defence surprisingly easily in front of their own posts.

Batley were equally as fragile though when they conceded for the first time on 13 minutes, Ben Davies barreling through some weak goalline defence to twist over direct from a penalty tap.

Shane Grady added the extras and, when Anthony Thackery showed a dummy and easily stepped his way through for Widnes's second four minutes later, it was slightly alarming how the Batley defence – so ferocious against Leigh – was looking so porous.

Thackeray was a constant menace with his pace and trickery but Batley re-organised and rediscovered their steel, repelling Matt Gardner, Ben Kavanagh and Davies in quick succession with some quality tackles.

Widnes resorted to attempting a drop goal, Thomas Coyle slicing an easy effort wide in a miss which would ultimately prove costly for Paul Cullen's side.

Moore was on target when he struck his own seconds later to nudge Batley back ahead and he added a 38th-minute penalty to put them 15-12 ahead at the break.

A compelling first half turned to farce at the start of the second period when both sides bizarrely lost all control of their handling.

It was one such error from Byron Smith that led to Widnes's third try.

The Batley prop coughed up the ball on his own 20-metre line and, soon after, Flynn found a rare chink of space down the Batley right to slip through with a neat piece of footwork.

Grady converted once more and when Chris Gerrard surged over in the 64th minute it seemed Batley's success-starved days would continue.

However, they won a short re-start to gain some possession and their persistence paid off, Brown emerging with that brace to send more than 2,000 Batley fans wild.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Alex Brown

Paul Handforth was man of the match but when it comes to heroes it has to be Brown. The powerful winger's first try was a gem after picking a perfect line off Johnny Campbell's pass and it gave Batley a chance. His second, with two minutes to go, might not have been as spectacular but it made history.

Villain: Paddy Flynn

The Widnes full-back had an excellent game, scoring a fine try and coming up with some crucial tackles, but his mistake in the final two minutes ultimately cost his side.

Key moment

78th minute: Alex Brown's second try won the game for Batley. After working so hard to get in front again, they were never going to loose it again in the dying seconds.

Ref watch

Robert Hicks (Oldham): Largely got the big calls right and did not do too much wrong although slightly pedantic at times especially during the closing seconds when his fussiness cut short the Batley celebrations which had started a few seconds too early.

Verdict

Batley's resilience and spirit eventually saw them earn a well-deserved and historic success. They were not at their best but found a way to dig themselves out of trouble and overcome hugely experienced opponents.

Quote of the day

Let's just enjoy the moment – Batley Bulldogs have won the Northern Rail Cup final 2010. We'll be realistic about it, we have no ambitions to go into Super League.

– Batley coach Karl Harrison plays down talk of Super League for the Bulldogs.

Next game

Dewsbury Rams v Batley Bulldogs, Sunday July 25, 3pm, Co-operative Championship.