Thunderous hits and dynamic play brings five tries and a big win for Midlands Hurricanes
It was a day for big hits and spectacular tries as Midlands Hurricanes put on a dominant display against an established heartland team and walked away with a statement win.
The Hurricanes took on Batley Bulldogs at Avery Fields in a game which started with some thunderous tackles from both sides and saw the Bulldogs threaten the Hurricanes line early on.
However, one dropped pass saw Matty Chrimes run 90 metres to score the first of his two tries from the afternoon, the second coming after Batley had taken the lead through a Josh Woods try when, as Batley threatened the line from a penalty, a thunderous Ryan Johnson tackle saw the ball go loose and be picked up by Chrimes for another long range score.
The home side seemed to grow more into the game as it went on, putting in some juddering tackles in defence and the likes of Tyler Dickinson and Zeus Silk making hard yards in attack, while half backs Sully Medforth and Lewis Else kept the Batley defence guessing through clever passes, mazy runs and accurate kicking.
With the momentum on their side, the Hurricanes scored three more tries in the second half, the first from Brandon Moore against his former club when he cut through from close range.
While Moore’s try was a matter of momentum taking him over, the next try for Horner came from a moment of brilliance by Medforth, who chipped over into space for Horner to pick up and go under the posts.
Having landed a penalty, Medforth then scored the final try, pouncing on a loose ball after Chrimes had beaten the Batley defenders to a kick on the fifth tackle, then completing a great personal day at the office with a conversion from the touchline.
A last-minute Dane Manning try proved only a consolation try for Batley, who were well beaten by 30 points to 12 by a dominant Hurricanes display.
The home side will look to keep the recent momentum going when they take on Oldham on Sunday, March 1 at Avery Fields.
Midlands Hurricanes
1 Todd Horner
2 Matty Chrimes
3 Ryan Johnson
11 Tom Wilkinson
5 Luis Roberts
19 Sully Medforth
7 Lewis Else
8 Jon Luke Kirby
14 Brandon Moore
10 Tyler Dickinson
20 Toby Warren
12 Oliver Roberts
13 Mikey Wood
Subs (all used)
9 Aiden Roden
16 Zeus Silk
26 Ethan Newboult
28 Isaac Shaw
Tries: Chrimes (8, 30), Moore (51), Horner (62), Medforth (71)
Goals: Else 0/1, Medforth 5/5
Batley Bulldogs
6 Ben Reynolds
2 Joe Burton
– Will Oakes
3 Oliver Greensmith
25 Derrell Olpherts
14 Ben White
7 Josh Woods
17 Liam Kirk
9 Alistair Leak
13 Robson Stevens
11 Dane Manning
12 Lucas Walshaw
18 Evan Hodgson
Subs (all used)
19 Jonah Parsons
24 Akim Matvejev
15 Nyle Flynn
21 Luca Atkinson
Tries: Woods (16), Manning (79)
Goals: Reynolds 2/2
