BATLEY BULLDOGS 4 – 18 FEATHERSTONE ROVERS
FEATHERSTONE Rovers stayed on course for the Betfred Championship play-offs with a quietly efficient but ultimately uninspiring three tries to one win over second-bottom hosts Batley Bulldogs
Rovers took more than half-an-hour to break down the stubborn Batley defence with a try from Caleb Aekins followed on the stroke of half-time by a Clay Webb with Ben Reynolds converting both.
Batley notched an unconverted try from Dane Manning – his 100th career try – but Rovers killed the game off with a try from Ryan Hampshire in the 72nd minute with Reynolds adding his third conversion of the match to tuck two precious match points into Rovers’ pockets.
Head coach Paul Cooke stuck with the starting line-up and bench which saw off London Broncos at home a week earlier, looking for a repeat of his side’s impressive all-round display against the Broncos and aiming to consolidate Rovers`position in play-off contention.
Predictably, Rovers set out to impose themselves on the gam e and set a high tempo kicking off down the hill in the first halfwith the stiff wind behind them, forcing Batley on to the back foot from the off.
Reynolds thought he was away and clear in the 13th minute, but Hampshire’s clever offload was ruled to have gone slightly forward, taking the pressure off the home defence 25 metres out.
With 15 minutes gone, Rovers had yet to get close to the Batley try-line with ball in hand and their defence coped comfortably with everything that the home side had tried to throw at them.
Rovers edged in front in the 33rd minute when the Batleydefence finally cracked under the increasing pressure, thanks to a clever offload from Reynolds which put Aekins through a gap next to the posts with Reynolds adding the conversion for a deserved 6-0 lead.
Webb then added Rovers’ second try on the stroke of half-time when Hampshire’s kick to the corner was taken byGlover and his ball inside allowed Webb’s power to carry himthrough two last-ditch tackles and over the line.
Reynolds added the conversion to send Rovers in 12-0 up atthe break.
Playing up the slope and into the wind, Rovers had to settle quickly into the second half knowing that Batley would try to use the wind to pin them back deep in their own end but with two powerful ball-carriers in Vuniyayawa and Akauiola on the pitch.
Batley, who had spent much of the first half on the defensive with their own attacks blunted by a hitherto watertight Rovers defence, found an opening in the 66th minute for Manning to crash over to make it 12-4.
But, with eight minutes to go, Rovers took the contest out of reach when Hampshire’s clever footwork engineered an opening under the posts and he strolled over with Reynoldsadding the conversion to complete a businesslike and hard-earned win for Rovers.
Batley Bulldogs: McGowan, Kear, Greensmith, Render, White, Ott, Blake, Leak, Cooper, Walshaw, Manning, Moore.
Interchanges: Flynn, Butterworth, Billington, Waine.
Featherstone Rovers: Aekins, Gale, Olpherts, Hampshire, Reynolds, Springer, Jubb, Beckett, Day, Webb, Addy.
Interchanges: Jones, Wilde, Vuniyayawa, Akauola
Referee: M. Lynn