Bradford Bulls crush Batley Bulldogs days after Barrow shame

Bulls had been on their knees six days earlier after a dreadful home defeat to Barrow, but their play-off dreams were put firmly back on track as they dismantled Batley Bulldogs yesterday at Mount Pleasant.

Bradford were sensational, especially in the second half down the slope, and scored eight tries in total for a 42-6 win.

There was even a champagne moment for captain Michael Lawrence, who finished off a thrilling counter-attack after the hooter for his first Bulls try.

Whether the Bulldogs had half an eye on the 1895 Cup final this coming weekend against Halifax, it was hard to say, but they were blown away by a Bradford side full of attacking verve and good discipline.

And with Sheffield suffering a shock defeat to Whitehaven, the result means Bulls are now just a point off third place, while retaining a three-point buffer inside the play-offs.

Michael Lawrence put the icing on the cake of a superb win. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

Bulls started brightly, and when Fenton Rogers won an early penalty, Jordan Lilley’s kick gained them good territory.

They stayed patient in attack, before Lee Gaskell lofted the ball towards Kieran Gill on the last tackle.

Though a Batley man beat the centre in the air, he could only knock it into the hands of Lilley.

The half-back flicked the ball on to the wing to Jorge Taufua, and he barged over in the corner, the try given after consultation between referee James Vella and linesman.

Lilley’s subsequent conversion attempt, with Dec Patton having been dropped from the side after starting every league game this season, struck the post.

He was in the thick of the action, as his superb 40-20 was followed by a stray pass that nearly led to an interception try.

Fortunately, James Meadows knocked that on, and from the subsequent scrum, Bulls added to their lead.

Tom Holmes looked for a penalty after a tangle 10 metres out, with the ball dropping loose.

While players on both sides stopping for a decision that was not forthcoming, quick-thinking Ben Blackmore picked up possession, skated past a defender on the right and flew over in the corner.

Lilley’s conversion was perfect from the touchline to put Bulls into double figures.

Dale Morton thought he had responded for Batley in the corner, but a stunning last-gasp tackle from Gill drove him into touch.

In one of their only sloppy moments all afternoon, Bradford did concede a soft try to let Batley back into the contest.

Ebon Scurr was a little unlucky to concede a six-again from what looked a good tackle, but then his team-mates should have defended the space better in the second phase.

Aidan McGowan shimmied into a gap that should not have been there before crossing under the posts, leaving Meadows with a simple conversion for 10-6.

Jayden Myers then grounded the ball for Bradford after showing great strength, but he was deemed just short of the line and Batley survived.

Taufua came so close to scampering away down the wing to score moments before half-time, as Gaskell almost retrieved a spillage and stopped himself knocking on, but the referee ruled against the half-back and a scrum was awarded to Batley.

It was a tense start to the second half, as Holmes mistimed a jump and knocked on close to his own line, but the full-back atoned for the error by immediately forcing a knock-on.

Tom Holmes crucially atoned for an error to keep Bulls in front. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

A superb tackle in the corner from Lilley denied Batley a try, though the ball had gone forward anyway, before Blackmore made a brilliant interception to claim a teasing kick out to the wing.

And after all that, Bulls scored the first points of the second half, as they began a sensational spell of dominance.

Gaskell’s kick to the left was gathered and laid off by Gill, before Lilley dabbed the ball through to an offside-looking Wallace to ground the ball.

The referee ruled him on though, Lilley’s conversion putting Bulls 16-6 in front.

Scurr then made good initial ground, before James Segeyaro took over and slalomed through.

He laid the ball off to Holmes as he was tackled, with the full-back switching it to Keven Appo, who juggled but then scored under the posts, with Lilley adding the extras.

Segeyaro limped off after being flattened in the build-up, with interim boss Lee Greenwood saying the club will need to assess the knee injury he looked to have suffered.

By this point, Batley seemed to be falling apart, and were conceding tries with alarming ease.

Bulls had their third try in six minutes when Gaskell found Holmes, who burst diagonally through a gap.

He flung the ball wide to Blackmore, and though a man on the line tried to stop him, he barged over to score anyway.

Lilley’s poor kick mattered little, as Scurr, in the week of his new two-year deal, soon increased the lead by spinning out of a soft tackle on the line from George Flanagan’s pass to score a converted try.

Ebon Scurr celebrated his new deal with a try. (Image: Tom Pearson.)

The scoring was far from over, with Wallace grabbing his second try in opportunist fashion.

He looked second favourite to retrieve Lilley's kick through, but his opponent lost the ball on the line, allowing the young second row to reach out, grab it and touch down.

Lilley’s kick drifted just wide, before the best was saved until last.

The hooter had already gone when Arundel broke away before finding Myers.

The young centre in turn fed Blackmore, who was running out of room but sent a spiralling high kick towards the line.

Lawrence was hardly the likeliest man to be on the end of it, but he was, catching the ball by the posts before touching down.

Lilley added the simple conversion as Bulls celebrated surely their most impressive win of the season, perhaps even better than their home win over Toulouse back in February.

It should give them great confidence ahead of their next game, at home to Newcastle in two weeks’ time.

BATLEY: McGowan, Morton, Hodson, Senior, Kear, Meadows, Woods, Gledhill, White, Brown, Manning, Buchanan, Reilly. Interchanges: Leak, Flynn, Ward, Kibula.

BULLS: Holmes, Blackmore, Myers, Gill, Taufua, Gaskell, Lilley, Lawrence, Flanagan, Rogers, Arundel, Wallace, Baitieri. Interchanges: Segeyaro, Appo, Scurr, Matongo.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Ben Blackmore.