Hornets hurt by late Batley flurry
ROCHDALE Hornets suffered a defeat away from home after they were beaten by Batley Bulldogs at Mount Pleasant.
Hornets were leading heading into the final 10 minutes of the match, but Batley were able to stage a comeback in the final 10 minutes to earn the win and condemn their opponents to defeat.
Batley were quick out of the blocks in the game, and Hornets got off to the worst possible start as they conceded a try after just three minutes.
Alan Kilshaw’s men put themselves under early pressure with three sets on the line, and Alex Rowe took advantage as he breached through the defensive line and crashed over the line from close range to get the opening try, with Batley also adding the conversion.
It went from bad to worse for Hornets as Batley scored another try on nine minutes, with Johnny Campbell beating Deon Cross to the ball and touching down to extend the lead to 10-0.
The action quietened down as the half progressed, and it looked like the score wouldn’t change heading into the interval. That wasn’t the case though as Kilshaw’s side were able to score a try on 37 minutes.
Jack Fox was able to cross the try line, but Tyler Whittaker couldn’t add the conversion for his side as the score was 10-4 to Batley at the break.
The second half saw Rochdale given a big chance to turn things around when a Batley player was sent to the sin bin after a professional foul on Danny Yates.
The visitors took full advantage as they made the extra man count immediately, as Cross scored his team’s second try of the match, but once again Whittaker couldn’t add the extras.
The momentum was firmly with Hornets now, and on the hour mark they were able to turn things around and take the lead for the first time in the match. Cross got the try again after receiving a pass from Toby Adamson, making it 12-10 to Hornets.
It looked like Kilshaw’s side may hold on to the win as the match approached the final 10 minutes, but that wasn’t the case as Batley put in a late flurry during the closing stages of the match. The first converted try came on 69 minutes, with Batley then adding another on 74 minutes to extend their lead to 22-12.
The hosts then put the finishing touches on their victory when Sam Smeaton broke through the Hornets defence and scored to make the final score 26-12.
Hornets will try to return to winning ways on Sunday when they return to action at the Crown Oil Arena, taking on Leigh Centurions in their penultimate home game of the year.