WEST Bowling would have been ball number 25 in Monday night’s alphabetical Challenge Cup third round draw, one which saw Bradford Bulls drawn at home to League 1 side North Wales Crusaders.

Being ball number 25 would have seen Bowling face an away tie at bitter rivals Stanningley, and if they had won that encounter against a side a division below them in the National Conference League, they would have a fourth-round clash against League 1 developers Cornwall or fellow NCL Premier Division outfit York Acorn.

With Bulls pencilled in for a tough fourth-round game at home to Championship rivals Widnes or Doncaster, there was a genuine possibility of West Bowling going further in the competition than their famous friends from Odsal.

But sadly that is all hypothetical, after John Williams’ side lost 32-10 on Saturday to Hammersmith Hills Hoists in an explosive second-round encounter.

Bowling had only faced Hammersmith once before, dismantling them in the opening round of the 2019 Challenge Cup.

But the Londoners are a far better side these days, with some real Antipodean talent in their squad.

And Bowling were always on the back foot after the weekend, as in a game full of fights, they went down to 12 men very early on, and finished the game with only 11 players on the field.

Williams reflected: “It was a mad game and we’re frustrated with how it went.

“We were disappointed to have (hooker) Dan Halmshaw sent off after 10 minutes, and I felt it really should have been a yellow card each for him and the Hammersmith lad.

“Dan put in a late hit after a kick, so it was a foul, but it wasn’t bad enough to be red-card worthy, then their lad grabbed him and the pair of them started scrapping.

“The referee did book their player but he sent Dan off.”

Bradford Telegraph and Argus: Dan Halmshaw's early red card was a dagger to the hearts of West Bowling on Saturday evening.Dan Halmshaw's early red card was a dagger to the hearts of West Bowling on Saturday evening. (Image: John Ashton.)

Williams was magnanimous enough however, admitting the Londoners are a fine outfit who could have easily beaten them 13 versus 13.

He said: “They’re a good side who were quick out of the blocks on Saturday and their play in the backs was quality.

“We started the game okay too, but with it going to 13 against 12 so early on, it was always an uphill task after that.

“We had Liam Coe sent off for fighting later on too, and there was a lot of that throughout.

“It was a fiery game and one I certainly felt the referee could have handled better, but to be honest, Hammersmith still could have easily won if the game had stayed 13 against 13.

“While I’m not saying we would have won with 13 men, it certainly would have been a better game without the red cards.”

Frustratingly, Bowling could have used the third and fourth round of the Challenge Cup as pre-season, ahead of their NCL Premier Division opener at home to York Acorn on March 2.

Asked about a West Bowling-free Challenge Cup and how Saturday’s defeat has changed the team’s plans for February, Williams said: “It was frustrating seeing Monday night’s draw but we’ve just got to dust ourselves down now.

“These next five weeks will be strange, because our initial pre-season prep was for these Challenge Cup games, and now we’ve got to go back to pre-season without a competitive game to look forward to until March.

“We’ll certainly be arranging a couple of friendlies between now and then to keep us ticking over.”