Top placed Wakefield Trinity made the short trip to Mount Pleasant to take on the Batley Bulldogs who started the round in tenth place with just a single win to their name after four games in the 2024 season.

A good win for the Bulldogs could see them into the top half of the table and kick start their season but the bookies were strongly leaning towards a win for Trinity and had given the home side a massive thirty-two points start on the coupon.

The home crowd were full of hope, but low on expectation as the league’s big boys rolled into town on a sunny afternoon with the aim of preserving their perfect start to the season.

Just two minutes into the game, Mason Lino stepped through the line and broke downfield before he found full back Max Jowitt in close support to go in and open the Wakefield scoring for the afternoon. Jowitt added the conversion to his try and Daryl Powell’s team had the perfect start.

A Renouf Atoni break saw Trinity inside the twenty before he found the ubiquitous Jowitt in support to get his second, to which he again added the conversion for 12-0 after seven minutes, Wakefield in total charge.

Batley registered their first points of the afternoon on twenty-one when a nice bit of footwork from Dale Morton saw the Bulldogs winger wrongfoot the Trinity defence to go over, but Josh Woods missed the conversion from wide, the Bulldogs still eight points behind.

A wayward Derrell Olpherts palm back of a Woods high kick was picked up by Alistair Leak who accepted the invitation to score the second Batley try of the afternoon. Woods added the conversion, and the home side were just two points adrift of their lofty neighbours and right back in the game with thirty-two minutes on the clock.

The Bulldogs were given a penalty on thirty-eight after a tip tackle under the shadow of the post and Woods kicked the penalty goal to level the score, with the Bulldogs having the slope advantage to come in the second half.

The Bulldogs had the brightest start to the second half and when they were awarded a penalty for holding down, Woods kicked the penalty goal to edge his side into a two-point lead, against all expectations.

Caleb Uele was the Wakefield hero on forty-nine as he bust through a tackle and dragged the tacklers over the line with him to ground for a crucial try. Jowitt added the conversion, three from three on the afternoon, to put Trinity 18-14 ahead. The tide seemed to be turning in Wakefield’s favour.

Matty Ashurst crashed the line off a short pass on fifty-three to get a second quick try for Trinity against a tiring Batley defence. Jowitt added the conversion for a ten-point lead, the Bulldogs up against it.

A Mason Lino kick was taken by Lawford who in turn found Walmsley in support who put in a pass to Jack Croft to go through a gap for the third Wakefield try in an electric and devastating seven-minute spell. This time Jowitt was unable to add the extras, Trinity with a fourteen-point advantage.

The game was put beyond any doubt on seventy when Iain Thornley took a pinpoint Lino pass to go over from short range to make it five wins from five at the start of the season. Jowitt was unable to add the conversion, Wakefield eighteen points ahead.

With five minutes of the game remaining Adam Gledhill was sin-binned for the home side as he took out Lachlan Walmsley as he attempted a grubber kick.

A last gasp penalty kick from Jowitt made it a twenty-point victory to the visitors, a scrapping performance against a Batley side who gave plenty of scares to their neighbours to take the two points which keeps them at the top of the table going into round six. Batley were left wondering how they managed to let the game get away from themselves when playing down their beloved slope in the second half and they will have to wait another week for their second win of the season.

Batley Bulldogs: Butterworth, Morton (T), Kear, Buchanan, Burton, White, Woods (3G), Gledhill (SB on 75), Moore, Cooper, Manning, Walshaw Brown. Subs: Leak (T), Flynn, Ward, Senior. 18th Man:. 

Wakefield Trinity: Jowitt (2T, 5G), Olpherts, Thornley (T), Croft (T), Walmsley, Lawford, Lino, Bowden, Hood, Atoni, Ashurst (T), Griffin, Kay.  Subs: Uele (T), Cozza, Rodwell, Doyle. 18th Man: Smith.

Half-Time: 12-12.

Full-Time: 14-34.

Score Progression: 0-4, 0-6, 0-10, 0-12, 4-12, 8-12, 10-12, 12-12 : HT: 14-12, 14-16, 14-18, 14-22, 14-24, 14-28, 14-32, (SB), 14-34 :FT.

Lead Exchanges: Wakefield – Square – Batley - Wakefield.

Referee: Cameron Worsley.