Dewsbury Rams 26 Wakefield Trinity 30: Red-hot Batchelor soups up Wakefield's try tally with hat-trick

The Super League outfit fielded 12 players from the club’s under-19s – excellent ‘work experience’ against a Dewsbury side aiming to make its mark once again in the Championship. Rams had the first chance to score, but were unable to ground the ball and Wakefield went up the other end where Elliot Caine got on the end of Jacob Miller’s grubber kick.

Batchelor was next to score for the visitors, this time Miller added the extras to give Wakefield a 10-point cushion.

That lead soon stretched to 16 points when former Wakefield man Dale Morton misjudged a bounce, and Batchelor was first to react to make the touchdown

With 20 minutes gone, however, Dewsbury got their act together.

Morton broke the defensive line after Paul Sykes’ initial break. Sykes – another one-time Trinity man – missed the conversion but made sure minutes later when Hamish Barnes had crossed for Rams’ second try. The deadlock remained up to the break, but Caine intercepted to make it 20-10 in Wakefield’s favour early in the second half, and Sam Blake made it 26 with Batchelor’s conversion, only after Jason Crookes had cut the gap for Dewsbury.

Batchelor completed his hat-trick, but there was still time for Rams to score again, twice through Gareth Potts.