Match Report | Sheffield Eagles 50-18 Batley Bulldogs

25/04/2025

Written by Will Russell

Sheffield Eagles ran riot against Batley Bulldogs as they scored nine tries in a 50-18 victory in the Betfred Championship this evening.

Head coach Craig Lingard made several changes to his side which were defeated by South Yorkshire rivals Doncaster last time out, with Ryan Millar and Oliver Roberts coming into the side, while Jack Bussey and Eddie Battye were promoted to the starting 13 after cameos from the bench last week. Additions to the bench included Masi Matongo and Jack Mallinson coming into the team. 

Looking to bounce back from their narrow defeat to Doncaster, the Eagles flew out the traps, as they pinned the Bulldogs in their half from the off. The early pressure caught Batley off guard, and Ryan Millar displayed brilliant pace as he scored Sheffield’s first try of the game after forty seconds. 

Ten minutes in and the Eagles continued their dominance, as strong carries and running lines gave Morgan Smith the space to display some excellent footwork as he scored under the posts. 

10 minutes later and the Eagles had doubled their try tally. There was a moment of individual brilliance from AJ Wallace as he showed plenty of pace and power to break through tackles and score Sheffield Eagles’ third of the game, before two minutes later, a wonderful floated pass from Matty Marsh put the ball on a plate for Ryan Millar’s second of the evening. 

The Bulldogs then quickly responded as Joe Burton scored their first of the game after some nice passing moves.  

More smart interplay from the Eagles between Ryan Millar and Kris Welham, gave the centre the chance to power down the right wing as he dotted down for the Eagles’ fifth try of the game. 

The Bulldogs came back at Sheffield once again as Jack Render scored in the corner, reducing the deficit just before the break. 

The second half began in a very similar manner to the first as the Bulldogs were unable to cope with the pressure from the Eagles. It took until seven minutes in, and some Bulldog possession on the Eagles’ try line, before an excellent interception and offload allowed Cory Aston to run the length of the pitch and score the Eagles’ first of the second half. 

Despite plenty of possession and pressure from the Eagles, their next try didn’t come until the 68th minute when Reiss Butterworth picked up the ball inside the Bulldogs’ five meter line before twisting and turning to dive over the tryline. 

The first real bit of pressure from the bulldogs came in the 74th minute as Oli Greensmith capitalised on a bouncing ball on the Eagles’ tryline and scored a consolation try for Batley. 

But the Eagles weren’t finished yet, as two quickfire tries from Tyler Dickinson, on his 200th career appearance, and Aston rounded off what was a brilliant, nine try display from the Sheffield Eagles. 

The Eagles are next in action on Sunday 4th May, where they will look to push on from this stellar performance as they travel to the Odsal stadium and face Bradford Bulls in the Betfred Championship. (3pm kick-off).

Sheffield Eagles: Marsh, Millar, Welham, Wallace, Dawson-Jones, Aston, Smith, Battye, Johnson, Dickinson, Roberts, Bussey, Gwaze

Interchanges (all used): Butterworth, Broadbent, Matongo, Mallinson

18th Man: Hodgson

Tries: Millar (1’, 20’), Smith (9’), Wallace (17’), Welham (29’), Aston (48’, 78’), Butterworth (70’), Dickinson (76’).

Goals: Aston (7/9)

Batley Bulldogs: Butterworth, Render, Myers, Greensmith, Burton, White, Woods, Gledhill, Parsons, Cooper, Flynn, Arundel, Brandon Moore

Interchanges (all used): Leak, Ward, Atkinson, Shaw

18th Man: Dean

Tries: Joe Burton (25’), Jack Render (34’), Oli Greensmith (74’)

Goals: Josh Woods (3/3)

Attendance: 627

Player of the Match: Kris Welham

Referee: R. Cox