COACH Mark Moxon believes Dane Manning summed up the Batley Bulldogs spirit by cycling to the Championship clash at London Broncos to raise funds for the club’s floodlight appeal.
The seasoned second rower, who is serving an eight-match suspension, might be a rookie rider, but he made light of the 200 mile-plus journey to Wimbledon in the south-west of the capital, which he completed in the company of his mate Mark Flynn.
That was before Batley were 16-14 winners in the match which marked the midway point of the 35-year-old’s ban, imposed for punching during a brawl near the end of the 16-12 1895 Cup first-round defeat at home to Bradford in early March.
Manning – the former Leeds player who is in his second spell at the Bulldogs, having also represented Featherstone and Halifax – and Flynn generated more than £3,600 in sponsorship through their efforts in the saddle to boost the appeal total.
Back in February, Batley Chairman Kevin Nicholas and former player turned commercial manager Danny Maun staged a sponsored walk to the away game at Oldham to raise funds for the project to upgrade the floodlights at the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, where the Bulldogs also train.
“We’re that kind of homespun club, where people roll their sleeves up and get stuck in,” said Moxon, who joined the coaching staff in 2011 and succeeded Craig Lingard in the hot seat ahead of last season.
“It was a top effort by Manu (Manning), who is a local lad and knows very well what we are all about here.
“He’s frustrated not to be playing and wanted to do something positive to help the club and also maintain his fitness.
“He’s not a big cyclist – in fact I think it took him a few hours to figure out that he had gears – but it didn’t surprise me that he got there, because he’s tough as teak both physically and mentally.”
Manning will remain suspended until the visit to former club Featherstone on Sunday, May 25, and Moxon added: “He’s remorseful and has apologised, and as a club, we are certainly standing by him.
“He and us accept that he was in the wrong, but we feel the ban was a bit harsh in its length. But it is what it is, and we will crack on.”
