Batley Bulldogs’ Fox’s Biscuits Stadium played host to an exciting day of Yorkshire Men’s League Finals on Saturday (August 6), with the YML Plate, Shield, Trophy and Cup all on the line, and every game streamed live on Our League.
The YML Plate Final took centre stage in the morning, as Castleford Panthers met Queensbury A. It took just a minute for the Panthers to take the lead, as Nathan Campsill opened the scoring.
It was 10-0 just ten minutes later, but Queensbury pulled a try back soon after to reignite spirits. Their grip on the game was loosened, though – after thirty minutes, a great team move saw the Panthers score again, and eventually head into the break 16-6 up.
Castleford were in full control of the game throughout the second half, as they really turned on the style – Chris Mann crossed over for his second try of the game, before a phenomenal solo effort from Joe Woods extended the lead further.
A great display of attacking prowess saw Castleford Panthers run out 34-6 victors as they got their hands on the YML Plate!
The second game of the day saw Stanley Rangers take on Kirkburton Cougars in the Shield Final. Stanley took the lead after just three minutes through Ben Richardson for a dream start, and capitalised on a gap after ten minutes to make it 10-0, earning some welcome breathing room.
Kirkburton heads didn’t drop, though, and they were back in it just before half-time thanks to a brilliant solo try from Josh Eastwood who went in under the sticks – their late fightback meant they trailed 6-10 at the break.
After a choppy start to the second half, Stanley’s class began to shine through as Liam Crawley extended the lead before Troy Snowdon added another to take the game away from Kirkburton.
A composed approach to the latter stages of the final meant Stanley Rangers coasted to a 30-6 victory, claiming the YML Shield.
The YML Trophy was on the line next, with Ossett Trinity Tigers squaring off against Newcome Panthers. Ossett were on the board after just a few minutes, with Brad McDermott finding space and crossing over under the posts.
Newsome were still in the hunt, though, and responded quickly after through Wes McGuire – the Panthers would find themselves down to 12 however, and Ossett made no mistake in taking advantage as they grabbed another try and eventually lead 14-8 at the interval.
The scores stayed the same for the opening fifteen minutes of the second half, before McGuire stepped up once again – he intercepted a pass around his own 20 and ran the length of the pitch to get his side back on level terms.
A gripping final got the ending it deserved, as the Panthers left it until after the eighty-minute mark to take the lead for the first time in the game – a try in the dying embers made it 16-20, and the YML Trophy was theirs!
A day of enthralling YML action in Batley came to a close with the YML Cup Final, as Doncaster Toll Bar met Almondbury Spartans.
Doncaster took the lead within two minutes, and a dream start was made better five minutes later when Kieran Lawton showcased his blistering pace to burst through the Spartans’ line and extend the lead – Toll Bar had a healthy 16-0 advantage at the break.
After Doncaster scored early in the second half, Almondbury got on the board after Southwell battled through and restored some pride with a try.
Doncaster proved to be too much to handle for the remainder of the game, and ran out 26-10 winners as they added the YML Cup to their cabinet!
