Batley match postponed with Craig Lingard concerned about players’ welfare

BATLEY BULLDOGS’ Betfred Championship fixture at home to Sheffield Eagles has fallen victim to the weather.
Off: Batley coach Craig Lingard saw the Bulldogs' pitch churned up against York last weekend. Picture by Ed Sykes/SWpix.comOff: Batley coach Craig Lingard saw the Bulldogs' pitch churned up against York last weekend. Picture by Ed Sykes/SWpix.com
Off: Batley coach Craig Lingard saw the Bulldogs' pitch churned up against York last weekend. Picture by Ed Sykes/SWpix.com

The pitch at Batley’s Fox’s Biscuits Stadium, Mount Pleasant, was churned into a mudbath during last Sunday’s defeat by Bradford Bulls and coach Craig Lingard admitted he feared for players’ safety if the game went ahead tomorrow.

“It was a toss of the coin, with the conditions as they were,” Lingard said of his side’s first loss of 2022. By the end of it you couldn’t see which team was which and I don’t think anybody wants to watch or play rugby in those conditions.

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“For me personally, it was a pointless event, the crowd was down because the weather was bad and the actual spectacle was poor. Looking at the weather, it [would have been] exactly the same this week.”

Conditions made working on the playing surface near-impossible and - speaking before the decision to postpone the game – Lingard added: “I think there’s maybe a player welfare issue [if they aren’t able to] replace the divots and level the field. I have got to think about not only the safety of my players, but the Sheffield players as well.

“At the minute, I don’t think our pitch is safe to play.”

Featherstone Rovers are due to play host to London Broncos today (5.30pm). Dewsbury Rams are at home to Widnes Vikings in a televised game on Monday (7.45pm).