Mon 16th May: Ch: Batley Bulldogs v Leigh Centurions KO 19:45 (Premier Sports)

[David Shepherd]

Weather could be a big factor. I’m in Ponte, but was looking bloody dark in the general direction of Batley.

[Simon Hall]

I think I’ll put a few books under one side of the TV, level it up a bit. 

[Northern Eel]

As much as it should be a gimme that the full-time team should be comfortably beating the part-timers, this is a good, disciplined performance from Leigh so far. 0-18.

[Josef K]

Aaron Smith he is one hell of a tough lad, i have never known a player to suffer head knocks and cuts too the head. 

[Harry Stottle]

49 minutes ago, David Shepherd said:

Weather could be a big factor. I’m in Ponte, but was looking bloody dark in the general direction of Batley.

Looks a lovely night but not so much for Batley, will the hill slow Leigh down?

[distantdog]

16 minutes ago, Northern Eel said:

As much as it should be a gimme that the full-time team should be comfortably beating the part-timers, this is a good, disciplined performance from Leigh so far. 0-18.

Agree. As a Batley supporter it is a painful watch but Leigh have barely made a mistake and their forwards look very impressive in laying a platform for their backs. Size matters and is really showing here.

[Snowys Backside]

Still chuckling at Thaler disallowing the first try 1 meter in front of him. 

 

Should have gone to specs avers! 

[spanishknight]

Leigh years ahead of Batley, let's see if Batley improve second half.

[Harry Stottle]

17 minutes ago, Josef K said:

Aaron Smith he is one hell of a tough lad, i have never known a player to suffer head knocks and cuts too the head. 

I have known a player who had far more head knocks Josef, also a Leigh player he must have been knocked unconscious a dozen times at least but this was in the 70's/80's when care was not the same as today, sadly he is no longer with us.

[David Shepherd]

4 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

Looks a lovely night but not so much for Batley, will the hill slow Leigh down?

Looks like they’ve swerved the big black cloud.

Leigh on fire, disappointingly

[sentoffagain2]

  Not very good from Batley i expected better.Leigh look the best side in the Championship on their first half performance

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, David Shepherd said:

Looks like they’ve swerved the big black cloud.

Leigh on fire, disappointingly

No it's normal Dave, excepting last week v Sheffield and I think the problem with that was exactly the same as Fev with Batley in the second drawn game, in that they did not respect the opposition, Leigh beat Sheffield easy the previous week and thought they of only had to take the field.

As a Leigh fan I would sooner have had a much harder game this evening.

[The Phantom Horseman]

I think any team would struggle to live with Leigh playing down that hill as they play so fast and direct down the middle, very impressive half from them. Interesting to see if they can be as dominant up the hill.

[Szymala]

Sad to see hardly anyone stood on the Roy Powell terrace.

[dkw]

Good 1st half by Degsies International all stars select 17......

[Harry Stottle]

9 minutes ago, dkw said:

Good 1st half by Degsies International all stars select 17......

Are you green coloured?

[Northern Eel]

31 minutes ago, sentoffagain2 said:

  Not very good from Batley i expected better.Leigh look the best side in the Championship on their first half performance

It's an off day for the part-time Bulldogs. Leigh clinical and superior. What might have been a close game with Batley's A game and Leigh's B game hasn't been anywhere close. Excellent from Leigh.

It is perhaps testament to Batley's reputation of punching well above their weight that many thought this would be a closely contested game; all power to the Bulldogs.

[Old Frightful]

Loving watching this.

Okay, it's obviously a tad one sided but, the ground, the pitch, and the fervent supporters of both teams are making it very enjoyable.

[Northern Eel]

3 minutes ago, ShropshireBull said:

Part time team on a working day will make no odds to Batley this result.   Would still fancy them to give either top two a game in one off shootout. 

They still have a catch up vs Eagles coming and London home next week.  

 

I still think Fev will be the better team over the season, but Leigh have posted a very impressive performance tonight. Batley would struggle against either in a winner-takes-all game, 9/10 times, but there's always an element of doubt with this gutsy team.

[Old Frightful]

Batley 0 Leigh 52,

Game over.

[Harry Stottle]

2 minutes ago, Northern Eel said:

I still think Fev will be the better team over the season,

By what respect slippery?

An honest question.

[distantdog]

52 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

 

As a Leigh fan I would sooner have had a much harder game this evening.

As a Batley supporter so would I.

[Harry Stottle]

5 minutes ago, Northern Eel said:

Batley would struggle against either in a winner-takes-all game, 9/10 times, but there's always an element of doubt with this gutsy team.

The only way Leigh or Fev will lose to any other Championship team is bad attitude, no matter how gutsy any team can play the player's both teams have should be to good for any other team.

[gingerjon]

55 minutes ago, Harry Stottle said:

As a Leigh fan I would sooner have had a much harder game this evening.

As long as the Championship remains the only division to have obscenely unbalanced funding these matches will continue to be the norm.

[Harry Stottle]

1 minute ago, gingerjon said:

As long as the Championship remains the only division to have obscenely unbalanced funding these matches will continue to be the norm.

It is also down to how much the owners want or can invest in their teams, Leigh and Fev would not be recieving the funding but for initially putting the finances in.

The division would be so much better if all the other teams could emulate these two, rather than the bottom dwellers as that seems to be your want