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PREVIEW: BATLEY BULLDOGS V SWINTON LIONS

22 April 2019

The Lions are on the road as we travel to Batley Bulldogs for round 11 of the Betfred Championship

The second game of the Easter period will see Swinton Lions travel to the Fox’s Biscuits Stadium to face Batley Bulldogs.

The Lions will aim for back-to-back wins, something that hasn’t been achieved in all competitions since 2017, against Rochdale in the league and Huddersfield Giants in the Challenge Cup.

We travel to 9th placed Batley Bulldogs for round 11 of the Betfred Championship.

Here’s what you need to know ahead of the fixture…

FORM GUIDE

Swinton claimed victory over their oldest rivals, Rochdale Hornets, in the Good Friday derby at Heywood Road, as winger Mike Butt stole the show.

The Wales international scored a first half hat-trick, before adding another in the second to help steer the Lions to a 36-22 victory. Liam Forsyth, Oscar Thomas and Gavin Bennion also crossed the whitewash for four-pointers.

Rochdale, a battle that dates back to 1871, fought back in an entertaining second half, led by halfback Daniel Abram and coach Carl Forster, but a late try from prop forward Bennion secured victory for the Lions. It was the Welsh international’s fourth try in his last four appearances.

Most recently, Batley Bulldogs defeated Dewsbury Rams on Good Friday.

Matt Diskin’s side travelled to the Tetley’s Stadium to face strong opponents in Dewsbury, and tries from Joe Taira and James Brown helped claim a 20-8 victory in a tough encounter.

Batley have won three games in the season so far, with six points in the league.

1969 LANCASHIRE CUP LIONS HONOURED IN NEW KIT.

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The sides met on three occasions in 2018, with the Bulldogs taking the spoils each time.

AJ Bell Stadium hosted the second round of the Betfred Championship, as Batley took a 28-48 victory.

Next up, the Lions travelled to the Fox’s Biscuit Stadium in the final round of the regular season, and a tough afternoon saw the home side claim a 40-18 victory. Tries from Josh Barlow, Aaron Hall and Mike Butt for the Lions.

The teams faced again once more in the Championship Shield at Batley’s ground, and again the home side went away with a 40-6 defeat over the Lions.

The game saw Tommy Gallagher wear the Swinton jersey for one last time, whilst Aaron Hall crashed over for his second of the season.

TEAM NEWS

Daley William’s returns to the 19-man squad, whilst Mike Ratu could be set to make his debut since his injury during pre-season.

LIONS SQUAD TO FACE BULLDOGS: Harry Aaronson, Matty Ashton, Gavin Bennion, Billy Brickhill, Mike Butt, Rob Fairclough, Aaron Hall, Frankie Halton, Jack Hansen Lewis Hatton, Adam Jones, Paddy Jones, Jose Kenga, Rhodri Lloyd, Mike Ratu, Jyle Shelford, Oscar Thomas, Luke Waterworth, Daley Williams.

BULLDOGS SQUAD TO FACE LIONS: Lewis Bienek, Dominc Brambani, Paul Brearley, Alex Bretherton, James Brown, Reiss Butterworth, Jonny Campbell, Jack Downs, Toby Everett, Lewis Galbraith, Adam Gledhill, Louis Jouffret, Alistair Leak, Wayne Reittie, David Scott, Sam Smeaton, Joe Taira, Mixhael Ward, Sam Wood.

 

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