BATLEY BULLDOGS
BATLEY BULLDOGS
Based at the Mount Pleasant Stadium in West
Yorkshire, Batley Bulldogs currently compete in
the Kingstone Press Championship. They are led
by President Kevin Nicholas whilst John Kear is
their Head Coach and they are looking to progress
under their guidance.
The club has a history of which they have every right
to be proud and one of their most recent triumphs
came in 2005 when they managed to win the LHF
Healthplan League One Qualifying Grand Final.
Their record attendance was in 1925 when they were
watched by a crowd of 23,989 against Leeds. One
of their biggest victories came in 2003 when they
managed to defeat the London Skolars by 82 points to
4 in the National League Cup.
In 2010, under the guidance of Karl Harrison the side
managed to secure silverware with a terrific victory
in the Northern Rail Cup. They came up against
Widnes Vikings, Whitehaven, Gateshead, Sheffield
Eagles and Leigh Centurions to set up a final against
Widnes at Blackpool.
The previous meeting had been a thrilling 30 all draw
and the final did not disappoint as they came back
from 24-15 down to take the glory. Wingman Alex
Brown was the hero as he scored two late tries to win
the cup. The club’s current group of players will be
keen to add to their history over the coming years.
This season the team has put together a steady
campaign, compiling a record of having won 11,
drawn 1 and lost 13 of their 25 matches. This sees
them sitting in a mid-table position with 42 points on
the board.
The team will be keen to finish the year off with a
win in order to finish in as high a league position
as possible. This would provide them with a good
platform upon which to build ahead of the 2015
season as they look to improve their squad during
the off-season.
One of the standout features of the Batley Bulldogs
set-up is the superb work that they do in their local
community. This is reflected by a charity event that
they have taken part in in which they look to help
charities and voluntary bodies along with other rugby
clubs.
The Kirkies community foundation, ‘One Community’,
set-up the challenge to discover the best goal kicker
in the area with the support of Batley Bulldogs and
Dewsbury Rams.
In a joint show of support for the charity initiative,
Batley Bulldog’s General Manager, Paul Harrison,
and Dewsbury Ram’s Community Manager, Angela
Burkinshaw, told Batley Bulldogs official website, “We
are pleased to support One Community and their
efforts to provide grants for good causes operating
in the area. The event to find the best goal kicker in
North Kirklees is a fantastic idea and we are sure it
will be well supported by the local community and
both sets of fans.”
This is just one example of the good work that they
do and hopefully they will be able to continue in the
same manner for many years to come.
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