A place at Wembley in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup final awaited the winners of today’s second semi-final between York RLFC knights and the Batley Bulldogs as the side placed third in the Championship table made the forty-mile trip to visit the side currently in a disappointing ninth spot.
Batley have a good recent record against York having won the last two meetings between the two sides and progressing the last time that these two met in this competition back in 2019, and the bookies agreed as they made the Bulldogs the favourites for the win.
After heavy overnight rain the conditions were slippy underfoot and ball handling likely to be unpredictable.
A mass brawl for the first action of any real note following a high tackle by Ukuma Ta’ai but the referee decided to take no further action.
The game was becoming increasingly fractious with the referee’s whistle dominating the game.
On twenty Josh Hodson scored the opening try of the game as the experienced Chris Clarkson was unable to take him down as he dropped the shoulder off a small pass. Full back Luke Hooley added the goal for a 6-0 lead to the visitors.
Adam Gledhill scored the second after an adventurous move, the bog forward pouncing on a Josh Woods angled kick to ground. Hooley added the conversion for a 12-0 scoreline, Batley in charge on the score board but little between the sides on the field.
The latest in a long sequence of penalties for the Bulldogs saw Hooley kicked another goal for 14-0 as the game approached the half hour mark.
It had been a good first half for the Bulldogs, but one which York would want to put behind them as their indiscipline gave them a bit of a second half hill to climb.
Alistair Leak extended the Batley lead on fifty-one after some confusion in the York defence. There was a flare up in the aftermath, but the referee took no further action and Hooley added the extras for 20-0. The Bulldogs with one foot in the final.
The York fightback started on fifty-five with AJ Towse on hand to take a pass from Clarkson to go over down the left-hand side. Liam Harris was off target with the conversion attempt from wide, York still needing three converted tries with just under twenty-five minutes remaining.
A Harris interception for eighty metres down the right wing saw him dragged down short by Hooley but the Knights scrum half regained his feet and go over the ground for the home side’s second of the afternoon. Harris couldn´t convert his own try but the Knights were back within twelve with eighteen minutes remaining.
The Knights had a Bailey Antrobus try ruled out for a knock on sixty-six, a hammer blow for York and a massive relief for Batley.
Another penalty for Batley on seventy-six killed any hopes of a last-ditch York fightback as they went fourteen points ahead through the boot of Hooley, to seal the 22-8 win.
After a game of two halves, probably because Batley thought the game was won at 20-0 when the put the cue on the rack, it will be the Batley Bulldogs who face the Halifax Panthers at Wembley as both York sides fall at the semi-final hurdle to exit their respective competitions. Batley rode their luck in the first half and took full advantage of their penalties to score two unanswered first half tries and romp into a big lead. York mounted a fightback, but the clock ran out before they were able to overhaul the Bulldogs score.
York RLFC Knights: Brown, Towse (T), Clarkson, Bass, Cunningham, Harris (T), Ta’ai, Jubb, Fitzsimmonds, Field, Antrobus, Thompson. Subs: Hingano, Kirmond, Michael, Teanby. 18th Man: Harrison.
Batley Bulldogs: Hooley (5G), Morton, Hodson (T), Kear, McGowan, Meadows, Woods, Gledhill (T), White, Brown, Manning, Buchanan, Reilly. Subs: Kibula, Leak (T), Flynn, Ward. 18th Man: ?.
Half-Time: 0-14.
Full-Time: 8-22.
Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 0-14 : HT: 0-18, 0-20, 4-20, 8-20, 8-22 : FT.
Lead Exchanges: Batley.
Referee: James Vella.
