Match Report by Luke Winner.

Batley Bulldogs made the journey  to Barrow Raiders, losing narrowly 20 – 18 in sweltering conditions, which certainly made for ‘Summer Rugby’.

It was an uphill physical battle from the start, with both team’s forward packs colliding trying to make a dint in each other’s defensive line. Jamie Dallimore placed the hosts in the lead early on in the game, collecting a penalty goal from interference in the ball play.

However, David Scott soon got Matt Diskin’s men on the score sheet going over following some quick point to blanks. Walker added the extras.

The game became sloppy from then onwards, with both sides making mistakes in the play. Joe Bullock, crashed his way through a wall of Batley players to make a 60m dash and score. Jamie Dallimore converted.

Even though Diskin’s men headed into the sheds 2 points down, it still wasn’t over as some fashionable rugby was executed by the visitors making for a tastier second half.

HALF-TIME: Barrow Raiders 8 – 6 Batley Bulldogs.

The second half saw Alex Bretherton earning another set deep in the hosts’ territory, which then allowed Dominic Brambani to scoot over the line. Walker added the conversion.

Joe Bullock was proving too much for the Bulldogs again, after sending out a fireball pass to Dean Parata who squeezed through a tight gap to score under the posts. Dalimoore converted.

Alex Bretherton was back at his crunching tactics once more, feeding a speeding ball into the hands of Patch Walker who completed the move quickly. Walker added the extras, to his own try.

Barrow soon came back knocking on Batley’s door, gaining multiple sets truly putting to test what had been formidable defence.

Ryan Johnson, scored the final try of the day; after continuously prodding away at the oppositions line, finally finding a weak point. Dallimore converted; making Barrow Raiders the winners on a scorching day.

FULL-TIME: Barrow Raiders 20 – 18 Batley Bulldogs

Barrow Xlll – Ryan Fieldhouse, Shane Toal, Declan Hulme, Andy Litherland, Gene Ormsby, Jamie Dallimore, Ryan Johnston, Joe Bullock, Nathan Mossop, Alec Susino, Jono Smith, Jarrad Stack and Martin Aspinwall.

Interchanges – Dean Parata, Brad Crellin, Danny Morrow and Glenn Riley.

Batley Xlll – Dave Scott, Keenan Tomlinson, Lewis Galbraith, Danny Cowling, Shaun Ainscough, Pat Walker, Dominic Brambani, Adam Gledhill, Alistair Leak, Alex Rowe, James Harrison, Bradley Day and Dane Manning.

Interchanges – Joseph Chandler, James Davey, Alex Bretherton and Michael Ward