OPPOSITION GUIDE | BATLEY BULLDOGS

Ahead of tomorrow's Betfred Championship play-off eliminator, we take a look at our hosts - Batley Bulldogs!

Formbook

-       Bradford Bulls, after finishing fifth in the regular season will now travel to The Fox’s Biscuits Stadium to take on Batley in the Play-Off Eliminator.

-       Batley leapfrogged Bradford into fourth on the final day, as they were victorious away at Halifax 12-10.

-       They will be in confident mood coming into this huge clash, with a full squad to choose from on the back of a morale boosting win. 

The Squad 

-       Batley are the shock team in the Championship after a successful season, which saw them finish in their highest League position since 2015.

-       In the off season, they added former Workington back Elliot Hall, who is their top try scorer with ten tries. 

-       They also boast an impressive half back pairing, which consists of Ben White and Tom Gilmore, who have led the team to a season high finish. 

The Coach

-       Batley are coached by Craig Lingard, who took over the club in 2020, and has enjoyed a stunning first season.

-       Lingard was also the assistant coach to John Kear when the current Bradford coach was at Batley. 

Connections

-       Johnny Campbell, who spent two seasons at Bradford and enjoyed a fruitful 2017 season, now plays for Batley and will be looking to get one over on his former club.

-       Lucas Walshaw, who came through the Bradford academy also now plays for Batley and has enjoyed a superb season for the Bulldogs.

The Stadium

-       Batley play their home games at The Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, which is the oldest Rugby League ground in history. 

-       Batley have spent their entire history at this ground, which can hold 7,500.

Previous affairs

-       The last time Bradford faced Batley was on 4^th July 2021, in which we ran out 30-16 winners, with Doyle, England, Burton, Brown and Rhys Evans scoring the tries. 

-       In 2019, Bradford did the double over Batley, with wins home and away.

-       Bradford also defeated Batley in pre-season to secure the Yorkshire Cup, with a 14-12 score line.