MIDLANDS HURRICANES 30 BATLEY BULLDOGS 12
IAN GOLDEN, Avery Fields, Sunday

BATLEY’S wait for a first Championship win of the year goes on after Midlands dominated the second half for a well-deserved success.

The home side dominated due to their imagination in attack, style of play and excellent defence. 

Whilst the first half was fairly even, the visitors just weren’t in the game at all after the break as Midlands even reversed the penalty count, which was 6-2 in favour of Batley after 40 minutes.

The Hurricanes opened the score on eight minutes with a try that came out of nothing after Batley were awarded a penalty on Midlands’ ten-metre line and chose to run the ball but dropped it on the second tackle. 

Matty Chrimes collected and sprinted nearly 100 metres to score, although Lewis Else couldn’t convert.

Chrimes was on fire and nearly scored a second with another weaving run, but this time the Bulldogs defence was up to the task.

Batley scored a try back on 16 minutes although they could have done so a little sooner if not for Tom Wilkinson’s outstanding tackle on Derrell Olpherts that sent the winger flying into touch.

However, there was a dropped ball from the resulting scrum, and two tackles later, Josh Woods dived under the sticks and Ben Reynolds converted.

Then, on the half-hour, Chrimes did it again. This time it was after Batley failed to score from a set of six given on Midlands’ ten-metre line. Ryan Johnson made a cruncher of a tackle on Reynolds, forcing him to drop the ball, and Chrimes collected with no-one able to stop him. 

Sully Medforth converted for 10-6, after which defences were on top, especially Midlands’ given the penalty count. The hits continued to go in hard and both bruised sets of players went into half-time knowing they produced 40 minutes of pure entertainment, with the score at 10-6.

Midlands scored their first try of the second half on 51 minutes. After winning a six-again and two penalties, all within ten metres of goal, Midlands broke the Batley defence as former Bulldog Brandon Moore forced his way under the sticks and Medforth converted.

They followed this up with an outstanding score. Medforth chipped the ball over the Batley line on only the second tackle of a set and Todd Horner raced onto it to score under the posts. 

Medforth added the goal, then a long-range penalty five minutes later, to put the score onto 24-6 and out of Batley’s reach.

Midlands continued to outplay their opponents and on their next move upfield they scored try number five as Medforth, who had an outstanding game, leapt onto his own grubber to score in the corner, then brilliantly converted it.

The Hurricanes’ second-half copybook was only blotted with a minute to go. After giving away a penalty for obstruction, Dane Manning ran in a consolation try on his 400th career appearance and Reynolds kicked the goal as the final hooter blew.

GAMESTAR: Sully Medforth was a true halfback throughout the game, using his skill to set up tries and kick well.

GAMEBREAKER: Medforth’s penalty-goal on 67 minutes made the score 24-6 and Batley didn’t look like scoring three tries before the end.

MATCHFACTS

HURRICANES
1 Todd Horner
2 Matty Chrimes
3 Ryan Johnson
11 Tom Wilkinson
5 Luis Roberts
19 Sully Medforth
7 Lewis Else
8 Jon Luke Kirby
14 Brandon Moore
10 Tyler Dickinson
20 Toby Warren
12 Oliver Roberts
13 Mikey Wood
Subs (all used)
9 Aiden Roden
16 Zeus Silk
26 Ethan Newboult
28 Isaac Shaw

Tries: Chrimes (8, 30), Moore (51), Horner (62), Medforth (71)
Goals: Else 0/1, Medforth 5/5

BULLDOGS
6 Ben Reynolds
2 Joe Burton
– Will Oakes
3 Oliver Greensmith
25 Derrell Olpherts
14 Ben White
7 Josh Woods
17 Liam Kirk
9 Alistair Leak
13 Robson Stevens
11 Dane Manning
12 Lucas Walshaw
18 Evan Hodgson
Subs (all used)
19 Jonah Parsons
24 Akim Matvejev
15 Nyle Flynn
21 Luca Atkinson

Tries: Woods (16), Manning (79)
Goals: Reynolds 2/2

SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 4-6, 10-6; 16-6, 22-6, 24-6, 30-6, 30-12

Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Hurricanes: Sully Medforth; Bulldogs: Josh Woods

Penalty count: 8-8
Half-time: 10-6
Referee: Adam Williams
Attendance: 470