MATCH REPORT: BATLEY BULLDOGS 30 - 34 MIDLANDS HURRICANES (PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY)

Ethan Newboult embraces Callum McLelland after the latter’s try (Credit: Paul Butterfield)

Canes leave Mount Pleasant with the win after a nail-biting clash

After a long, cold and windy pre-season towards the end of 2024, the Midlands Hurricanes made the trip to West Yorkshire to face Championship regulars Batley Bulldogs. This was the first time the two sides had met on a rugby field, with this game being the first outing for the Canes but the second for the Bulldogs having bested rivals Dewsbury in their annual Boxing Day pre-season fixture.

The first ten minutes proved difficult for the Canes, with some rustiness evident from a number of unforced errors that gifted the hosts eight sets on the Hurricanes line. Whilst the Canes made up for those errors with some valiant defending, Ollie Greensmith went over from short range in the sixth minute to open the scores (4-0). Talismanic half-back Josh Woods added the extras from out wide (6-0).

With just over fifteen minutes played, the Canes struck back with their first set in Batley’s half. A strong attacking play ended with Sullivan Medforth kicking a high bomb into the right hand corner, which was plucked out of the air by debutant Matty Hanley and offloaded to another debutant in Travis Corion who raced over the line and behind the Batley defence to score right of the sticks (6-4). Medforth had no issues converting just right of the posts (6-6).

A couple of minutes later the Canes went back to back as a deft short grubber from magician Callum McLelland was fumbled by the Batley defence before Todd Horner pounced on the loose ball under the posts (6-10). Once again, Medforth was on hand to add the extras (6-12). Whilst it looked like the Canes were aiming for three back-to-back tries, a short pass from McLelland was intercepted by Jonah Parsons who raced 70 metres up the hill to slide over in the right hand corner (10-12). The subsequent conversion from out wide had the legs but lacked the accuracy, so the Canes remained two points ahead.

Marcus Green charges at the Bulldogs (Credit: Paul Butterfield)

With four tries between the teams in the first twenty-ish minutes, the teams began to balance each other out as the teams approached the final ten minutes. The Canes once again took the lead as a looping no-look pass from Callum McLelland bobbled and bounced into the hands of Ryan Johnson, who passed out wide to Matty Chrimes and leapt like a salmon to score in the left-hand corner to the jubilation of the travelling fans (10-16). Medforth’s conversion attempt drifted left of the posts.

The final try of the first half came from the visitors off the back of a spilled catch at the end of a Bulldogs set. Whilst the Canes kept Batley out for the first five tackles, some impressive passing from right to left saw Joe Burton drive low to score in the left-hand corner despite Matty Hanley doing his best to narrow the gap (14-16). Once again, Josh Woods’ conversion attempt was wide of the sticks.

Half-time: Batley Bulldogs 14 - 16 Midlands Hurricanes

With a two-point lead but Mount Pleasant’s famous hill staring in front of them, the Canes quickly contended with the vertical challenge as Vice-Captain Jon-Luke Kirby charged up the slope following a line-break and put the visitors in a strong position. After a strong run from Tom Wilkinson the ball found its way to McLelland, who spotted a gap in the Batley defence and danced and weaved his way to plonk the ball down under the sticks (14-20). With Sullivan Medforth replaced by usual kicker Jake Sweeting for the second half, the latter made short work of the conversion from in front of the posts (14-22).

Callum McLelland dots the ball down for our fourth of the afternoon (Credit: Paul Butterworth)

The next fifteen minutes saw the game even out once again, with each side conceding a goal-line drop-out following spells of pressure on each other’s line. However, it was the Canes who took advantage of their drop-out as a classic scoot from dummy-half bamboozled the Batley defence and gave Barcoe an opportunity to deliver a short pass to Ellis Hobson, with the young forward selling a dummy and creating space to fall over the line for his first ever professional try (14-26). Sweeting once again nailed an easy conversion (14-28).

With a little under fifteen minutes to go, the hosts suddenly saw the momentum shift in their favour after dragging Travis Corion into touch early into a Canes set. With a set beginning 20 metres out from the Canes line the Bulldogs managed to earn some points as Jonah Parsons put Joe Arundel through from short range to score in the right corner (18-28). With Josh Woods off injured, Robbie Butterworth’s conversion attempt was wide of the sticks.

The Bulldogs quickly went back-to-back from the following set, with Luke Cooper taking a short pass to break the Canes line and charge down the hill before a series of offloads found Dane Manning who slid over in the left-hand corner to score (22-28). Butterworth added the extras from out wide (24-28). Things went from bad to worse for the Canes as only four minutes later Dave Manning got his second after scooting from dummy-half and driving low to thwart a scrambling Midlands defence (28-28). Butterworth nudged the home side into the lead with an easy conversion (30-28).

Ellis Hobson slides over for his first ever professional try (Credit: Paul Butterfield)

With all the momentum firmly in Batley’s hands and the Canes fumbling their first real set after conceding three tries back-to-back, fans may have been reasonable to assume that the hosts had snatched a late victory from a plucky (but unlucky) Midlands team. However, there was a time for a game-changing moment as a long aerial pass from the Bulldogs was snatched by Matty Hanley who then blitzed his way up the hill from 70+ metres out to score under the sticks - much to the delight of the Canes fans stood behind the posts (30-32). Sweeting once again added two points from the kicking tee (30-34).

There was time for some potential late drama in the dying moments as a fumbled catch gave the Bulldogs an opportunity to at least level the scores, but some scrambling defence saw the final seconds tick away to secure the Canes their first ever win against Championship opposition (albeit in a friendly).

Head Coach Mark Dunning and the team will now turn their attention to this Sunday’s Challenge Cup Second Round clash with National Conference Premier side Siddal ARLFC, where a victory will see them host Super League outfit Salford Red Devils in the Third Round.

Full-time: Batley Bulldogs 30 - 34 Midlands Hurricanes

Try-scorers:
Travis Corion, Todd Horner, Matty Chrimes, Callum McLelland, Ellis Hobson and Matty Hanley

Conversions:
Sullivan Medforth (2/3) and Jake Sweeting (3/3)

Man of the Match:
Todd Horner