Last updated at 15:43, Monday, 29 June 2009

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CO-OPERATIVE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT

BATLEY BULLDOGS 46 BARROW RAIDERS 16

BARROW Raiders were humbled and humiliated in West Yorkshire as they fell to a crushing defeat at the hands of Batley Bulldogs.

Attempting an escape act for the umpteenth time, Barrow were unable to pull the rabbit out of the hat as Karl Harrison’s resurgent side demolished their opponents without a modicum of mercy.

Two rampaging spells at either end of the game saw Batley run in 38 of their eventual 46 points, exposing holes in the Raiders defence repeatedly.

Barrow were 16-0 down after quarter-of-an-hour and conceded another 22 points in the closing 15 minutes as the Bulldogs tore them apart.

This was the kind of defeat Barrow have not suffered in a long time and the kind most Raiders fans hoped they would not see again for a long time to come.

But those who travelled did so knowing Barrow had not been in the best form of late and had been lucky with some of their wins.

This time fortune could not save them.

It was a stunning opening spell from the home side, whose fortunes have turned around massively since Harrison took on the coach’s job on a permanent basis.

Going down the significant slope – though anyone trying to use that as an excuse for Barrow’s defeat should be thrashed as soundly as they were – the Bulldogs used the full weight of their forward pack to build continuous momentum.

A penalty conceded on the fifth tackle for holding down at the play-the-ball cost Barrow dear as Anthony Henderson drove right up to the line and the job was finished off a couple of tackles later by Byron Smith, pushing through Gary Broadbent.

Another penalty, this time when Andy Bracek and Ned Catic were adjudged to have committed an illegal tackle on Henderson, saw more holes opened up, Ash Lindsay driving through after Henderson was stopped on the line for a second time.

Things only got worse for the visitors when Mennell and Handforth combined in the Barrow half and the latter went in for a 16-0 lead.

These were desperate times for Barrow and they could not afford to concede the next score.

Finally they made some ground into Batley territory and when they got close for the first time, Mossop was there to go through a crowd of legs and stretch over right in front of referee Ronnie Laughton.

With Darren Holt off the field with a knee injury – the same affliction that struck down Andy Brocklehurst in the warm-up – Paul Noone converted and put Raiders back within 10 points.

There was no more scoring for the first half, with hopes high among the Raiders support they could use the slope after the break.

But there was no change of fortunes, Liam Harrison showing his first burst of the afternoon and making good ground, but with no-one there to carry the work on and the move amounting to nothing.

Batley showed how it should be done when, on the last tackle, Handforth put in a short chip kick which he hacked on in front of Broadbent and into the path of Darryl Cardiss, the winger reaching the ball before Chris Larkin and grounding.

What was a 22-6 lead became 24-6 when another high tackle was penalised on 15 metres and Mennell kicked the goal between the sticks.

Finally there was some cheer for the travelling support when Zeb Luisi faked a pass and made a break from a tackle on the 40-metre line, taking support with him and sending in Andreas Bauer for a try to make it 24-10.

There was the hint of a comeback now as Ellis threw himself into the posts trying to score and Luisi was stopped inches short as he tried to jink through.

There was no stopping Ellis a second time though, Catic driving at the corner and flicking out a pass before he could be dragged into touch, the hooker there to collect and pushing his way through the crowd, Noone converting well from the touchline for 24-16.

Now it was Batley making the errors and gifting penalties, but when Barrow went close again they could not reach the line, Bauer going closest but then losing the ball when he stood up.

But that error proved extra costly and was the end of any chink of light for Raiders as the ball went down the blind-side from the scrum and Lindsay raced the length of the field, outpacing Luisi and Broadbent to score in the corner.

Mennell and Handforth then combined to put Craig Potter in, his try and that of Kris Lythe from more good work by Handforth two minutes later leaving Barrow shattered.

The self-destruction was complete minutes later when Ned Catic talked himself up from a sin-binning for a high tackle into a sending off and left Barrow with 12 men for the final four minutes.

It was no surprise then when a kick from Lindsay bounced away from Broadbent and into the hands of Danny Maun, who scored with the last move of the game.

The dejected looks on the faces of the Barrow players said it all.

They knew they had been outplayed and know full well the improvement needed for Toulouse on Thursday.

Batley Bulldogs: Ian Preece, Jonny Campbell, Mark Barlow, Danny Maun, Darryl Cardiss, Paul Handforth, Paul Mennell, Anthony Henderson, Kris Lythe, Craig Potter, John Gallagher, Byron Smith, Ash Lindsay.
Subs: Gareth Greenwood, Jon Simpson, David Toothill, Jack Watson.

Barrow Raiders: Gary Broadbent, Chris Larkin, Andreas Bauer, Liam Harrison, James Nixon, Liam Finch, Darren Holt, Brett McDermott, Andy Ellis, Andy Bracek, Ned Catic, Paul Noone, Zeb Luisi.
Subs: Chris Young, Jamie Butler, Nick Beach, Nathan Mossop.

Referee: Ronnie Laughton (Barnsley).

Attendance: 1,002.

PLAYBACK

FIVE MINUTES: Byron Smith try, Paul Mennell conversion, 6-0.
11 MINUTES: Ash Lindsay try, 10-0.
14 MINUTES: Mennell try and conversion, 16-0.
21 MINUTES: Nathan Mossop try, Noone conversion, 16-6.
45 MINUTES: Darryl Cardiss try, Mennell conversion, 22-6.
49 MINUTES: Mennell penalty, 24-6.
56 MINUTES: Andreas Bauer try, 24-10.
61 MINUTES: Andy Ellis try, Noone conversion, 24-16.
67 MINUTES: Lindsay try, 28-16.
72 MINUTES: Craig Potter try, Mennell conversion, 34-16.
74 MINUTES: Kris Lythe try, Mennell conversion, 40-16.
76 MINUTES: Ned Catic sent-off (high tackle and talking back).
80 MINUTES: Danny Maun try, Mark Barlow conversion, 46-16.

First published at 14:48, Sunday, 28 June 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk