DEWSBURY RAMS NIPPED BY THE BULLDOGS OF BATLEY

DEWSBURY RAMS 12 V BATLEY BULLDOGS 16
KINGSTONE CHAMPIONSHIP @ THE TETLEY STADIUM
26 JULY 2015 3PM

SOUTH STAND TERRACING AT DEWSBURY RAMS

This heavy woollen 'derby' turned out to be a cracker that went first one way then another but at 4.40 it was the visitors from Batley who could claim bragging rights with a narrow victory in a tough encounter in difficult wet conditions.
As ever the game in a while but having chosen football yesterday there was a nice opportunity to take in some rugby league today and where better than Dewsbury for this enticing 'derby' encounter.  With Dewsbury Rams looking for a victory that would secure them 5th spot at the end of the first stage of the season following Workington's shock 29-0 at Featherstone on Saturday night it was game on especially with Batley looking for points to pull away from the wrong end of the table.
The journey was a difficult one with engineering works from base to Sheffield it meant just X Country trains running or it was a bus replacement option.  Gambled on the 4 carriage former and we were packed in like sardines to Sheffield and slightly less so to Wakefield but seats forget it.  The train manager even had the cheek to mention the first class upgrade available at £20 in the first class carriage this with who knows how many standing I think it should have been opened up for free.  Anyway it was different to arrive at Westgate station as opposed to Kirkgate and the entrance/exit is now a new and smart facility that guides you onto a side street away from Westagte.  A short walk to the bus station secured a bus to Dewsbury which then struggled to get out of the City due to traffic light timing problems.  Having arrived in Shaw Cross area of Dewsbury to a nice sharp and persistent rain there was time to take some cover by the entrance to the club and watch as the players arrived. 
A previous visit to Shaw Cross Sharks saw a little bit about the club on a previous blog but Dewsbury's old ground at Crown Flatts was passed on the way to the ground now adorned with houses.  During the match build up I managed to catch up with and have a nice conversation with a Ram's fan who remembered the old ground but explained in its latter days it became 'not fit for purpose' especially after the stand was destroyed.

NORTH STAND SEATING AT THE TETLEY STADIUM

So an early entry secured me the chance of a bit of cover the South Stand terrace is large and covered and offers a commanding view with opposite the main, north, stand looking smart and in good proportion with exec boxes to the rear.  To the left of the main covered terrace is an uncovered terrace, little used today in the constant rain, with smart crush barriers and a mini sized electronic scoreboard which also features digital displays of players too.  Behind the sticks at the opposite end is hard standing walk way but this area is sectioned off at present with no spectators allowed. 

HOW MUCH FOOD CAN YOU COOK IN THIS TRUCK?

The ground has plenty of areas to fill in and develop both inside and outside where a large housing estate is being built,  Inside the ground the club have two large trucks that act as snack wagons and of course it would have been rude not to sample a chip butty, when I finally got the naming issues right having originally gone for chip cob.

ROGER THE RAM WITH DUDE FROM KIRKLEES ACTIVE

Programme and draw tickets purchased there was a chance to have a chat with a few supporters and its all quite friendly at rugby league with no segregation in operation at this level during the game though there is of course some good banter and certainly an attempt to wind the opposition fans up.

A wide selection of mascots were to be on show today with Kirklees Active helping us all to get fit their mascot in flip flops and toned body was a special feature and he managed to do the rounds with Roger the Ram Dewsbury own animal in disguise. 

SHOW A MASCOT A CAMERA, CHEERS GUYS!

Batleys Bulldog was nowhere to be seen had he gone for a long walk or slipped his leash?  No he turned up just before kick off and performed a few rounds of sparring with Roger which all ended shortly after when they made up and became friends!


EARLY STAND OFF FOR DEWSBURY AND BATLEY

SCOTT LEATHERBARROW CONFIDENT KICKING

So the game and it was a real battle of attrition with the game score less until 26 minutes when Dalton Grant went over for Dewsbury and with the wide conversion failing they settled for a 4-0 lead.  Within 3 minutes though Batley though were in the lead Alex Brown went over and Scott Leatherbarrow converted with a superb kick wide off the left.
 On 35 minutes Leatherbarrow added two more points when he kicked a penalty and the Bulldogs went onto the break 8-4 to the good.
Ten minutes into the second half and Grant got his second try to level the score at 8 all.
The game was keeping everybody on the edge of their seats and on 55 minutes the kicking of Leatherbarrow gave the visitors a 10-8 lead thanks to a penalty kick.  Once again Dewsbury came back and it was on 63 minutes when Morton went over and with a missed conversion the lead was just 2 points.

Ten minutes from time Chris Ulugia weaved his way over and to take the score line to 14-12 in the Bulldogs favour and then a few minutes later Leatherbarrow was called on again to kick another penalty to create a four point buffer. 

Dewsbury stormed back and in the last minute two clock stoppages in the Batley's 10 metre line added to the tensions but they hung on for a famous victory over their neighbours who before the start of the game were looking for that fifth spot.
Both sides came over to applaud their fans at the end but it was Batley's Bulldog that was in full voice and Roger the Ram had to take a back stage.

BULLDOGS AND BULLDOG THANK THEIR FANS

A cracking game of rugby, feisty at times, a test of stamina and handling in the wet conditions but the players on show today could not be faulted for their efforts and contributions to a great advert for 'derby' rugby league enjoyed by a crowd of 1,319.
The journey back was via a short walk to the edge of Ossett for the return Arriva bus back to Wakefield and a return via the beloved Kirkgate station before changing for the slow engineering affected return to base.


GRAND CENTRAL EX LONDON SERVICE
AT WAKEFIELD KIRKGATE