BATLEY BULLDOGS 110 NORTH WALES CRUSADERS 10
KEITH McGHIE, Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Sunday

BEN REYNOLDS amassed 38 points as Batley enjoyed a club-record rout of North Wales.

This win surpassed the previous best in their long history, a 100-4 success against Gateshead in 2010.

They gained back-to-back victories for the first time since the opening two weekends in March against a Crusaders side that many thought wouldn’t be able to continue in the competition after their recent financial problems.

The Bulldogs had little trouble seeing them off, scoring 20 tries and Reynolds adding 15 conversions, while adding a brace of tries to his work with the boot.

North Wales spent the entire second half tackling or, as they tired, missing tackles, but they did manage a try in each half themselves.

The brave but beleaguered visitors arrived with a dismal record of five straight defeats in all competitions, without scoring a point in the most recent three.

The Bulldogs, sensing blood against opponents expected and proving to be largely unfamiliar with each other, opened with eight tries up the hill before the break, then they ran amok afterward, adding twelve more at roughly three-minute intervals.

Alistair Leak came onto the Batley teamsheet as a late replacement for Josh Woods, who picked up a strain in the pre-match warm-up, with Mitch Beedle making his debut after joining the Bulldogs from Castleford in midweek.

The Crusaders lined up with a side vastly changed from that which lost 80-0 at Goole a fortnight earlier.

Robbie Butterworth, spotting an overlap emerging beside him, straightened up to score an easy opening try.

Derrell Olpherts set the scene by bursting through two tackles but rejected the waiting support and was brought down by the third.

Nyle Flynn burrowed over for a second score, then Akim Matvejev scored the first of his two and Ollie Greensmith crossed as the Bulldogs scored at over a point a minute.

Following a second handling error from a kick-off, Dom Horn hit back for North Wales with Ben Fisher converting.

Hints of understandable complacency among the hosts were shown by several unforced handling errors and the casual attitude when a Reynolds restart made touch but absolutely no ground. Yet it didn’t prevent a trio of further touchdowns being added, by Flynn, Jonah Parsons and Joe Burton, before the break.

With the score 44-6 and the Bulldogs about to turn around and come down Mount Pleasant’s famous slope, bets were being taken at half-time as to how big the final margin might be.

Jack Hudson scored the individual try of the game immediately after the resumption, with another mazy run to the line following shortly after, with a second Burton score in between.

In total twelve second-half tries were added, with Lucas Walshaw, Reynolds and Olpherts scoring twice each while Robbie Butterworth and Evan Hodgson got involved and Matvejev registered again.

The last score took Olpherts to within one of the 150-try mark for his career.

Meanwhile Lewis Holgate scored the Crusaders’ second try in the corner in the 51st minute to grab further consolation for the battered and tackle-weary visitors.

GAMESTAR: Ben Reynolds’ kicking was not perfect but not many players amass as many points in any game.

GAMEBREAKER: The lack of quality in the Crusaders’ squad always ensured it would be a one-sided contest.

MATCHFACTS

BULLDOGS
1 Robbie Butterworth
2 Joe Burton
20 Jack Hudson
3 Ollie Greensmith
25 Derrell Olpherts
6 Ben Reynolds
9 Alistair Leak
17 Liam Kirk
9 Ben White
24 Akim Matvejev
11 Dane Manning
15 Nyle Flynn
13 Robson Stevens
Subs (all used)
12 Lucas Walshaw
18 Evan Hodgson
19 Jonah Parsons
28 Mitch Beedle

Tries: Butterworth (4, 59), Flynn (9, 30), Matvejev (13, 70), Greensmith (18), Leak (28), Parsons (33), Burton (34, 45), Hudson (41, 49), Walshaw (50), Reynolds (53, 68), Walshaw (56), Olpherts (65, 78), Hodgson (76)
Goals: Reynolds 15/20

CRUSADERS
1 James Farrah
2 Matthew Lightfoot
3 Evan Rowlands
4 Lewis Holgate
5 Jayden Billy
6 Ben Fisher
7 Jamie Fozard
8 Connor Terrill
9 Jamie Billsborough
10 Eoin Bowie
11 Will McCardle
12 Logan Stott
13 Dom Horn
Subs (all used)
14 Will Fernley
15 Harry Coleman
16 Charles Tetley
17 Matthew Bailey

Tries: Horn (20), Holgate (51)
Goals: Fisher 1/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 10-0, 16-0, 22-0, 22-6, 28-6, 34-6, 38-6, 44-6; 50-6, 56-6, 62-6, 68-10, 74-10, 78-10, 82-10, 88-10, 94-10, 100-10, 104-10, 110-10

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Man of the Match
Bulldogs: Ben Reynolds; Crusaders: Ben Fisher

Penalty count: 5-0
Half-time: 44-6
Referee: Lucas Seal