20 July 2014

Featherstone were apprehensive about facing an in-form Batley side after their creditable draw against high flying Halifax, but were surprised by the lack of fight from the Bulldogs who were completely routed in a ten try display. Rovers were on the scoresheet as early as the second minute when Jason Crooks tore down the right touchline to be tackled metres short. On the next play the ball was swiftly moved out to the left where Gareth Moore’s long pass allowed Greg Worthington to force his way over. Worthington scored again with a fine individual effort, then he combined with James Mendeika to storm through a gap down the left to give the return pass for Mendeika to put the supporting Andy Ellis over near the posts. Bostock’s offload put Will Sharp through on a diagonal run to the line where he found George Flanagan in support. Gareth Moore’s conversion made it 20-0, and there was no way back for the Bulldogs, especially after Bostock’s tremendous tackle on the Featherstone line to halt Alex Rowe, who looked a certain scorer. Jason Crookes’s sprint for the corner off Ian Hardman’s smart offload barely ten seconds before the hooter was merely the icing on the cake.

Bulldogs started the second period with greater resolve, as Alex Bretherton was halted just short after a stop-start sixty metre move, and after James Mendeika extended the home side’s lead they immediately responded when Mark Applegarth scampered between the uprights. That was all they could offer, however, as Rovers came back at them with a vengeance, first from a powerful individual effort by Matt James, and Gareth Moore’s opportunist score from yet another spilled ball in the Batley ranks. Two penalties via restarts going out on the full didn’t help their cause as Rovers continued to pile on the points with Crookes’s second and Andy Kain’s opportunist dive to touch down Moore’s tantalising grubber.