Thursday Night Rugby League

By The man

Leigh v Batley



17th June 19:30 GMT
Sky Sports 4 (19:30-21:30)

Leigh face Batley in the Northern Rail Semi Final and with it the prize of a Blackpool final and a shot at getting the oh so important tick in the box for a franchise application. There's is little doubt that this has been a major focus for Leigh this season. They have a new ground and that gains a tick in the box for facilities but without lifting the cup or getting to the Grand Final their Super League dreams die for another three seasons under current franchise rules.

If you look at recent form then Leigh have started to slide in recent weeks with home defeats to Featherstone and Halifax, a scraped victory at lowly Whitehaven and, perhaps significantly, a hammering by tonight's opponents last weekend. It is clear that Leigh aren't the force they were in the opening weeks. They have both gained and suffered by the dual registration system. They have brought in a number of fringe players from Super League clubs to get their season moving but have had the disruption caused by those same players being recalled on a number of occasions. Add in that their marquee signing of Robbie Paul has suffered an injury and perhaps it is understandable that their form has suffered.

The form from the big weekend defeat at Batley should not be taken too literally as Leigh wrapped their players in cotton wool. Martin Ridyard, James Taylor and Stuart Donlan all could have played but were given the extra few days to recover from injuries with this semi final in mind. Add in the return of dual registered Matt Blythe, Lee Mitchell and Tyrone McCarthey and you will see a completely different Leigh team tonight.

Batley though are no mugs. Probably the most unfashionable team in the division they continue to defy the critics year after year. They have had recent fine victories against Leigh and Sheffield and impressively Widnes away and they come in to this fixture with greater momentum. It is a game they will feel sure they can win and to an extent I agree that they are capable.

However, given the return of the Leigh players and the focus they have a Leigh victory is most likely.

Looking at the betting the bookmakers give Batley a start between twelve and fourteen points. As with every game I produce my own handicap and compare with what's on offer and the likely scenarios of what will happen. This is a cup semi final and the stakes are high. I expect two highly committed teams with Leigh just having the edge. However, the edge isn't as high as fourteen points. Obviously there is a chance that they could cover this mark and they have already posted a 26pts-4pts home victory over Batley but Batley have improved since then and I argue Leigh are worse. My sort of handicap was a 10pt start to the visitors and this has induced a wager for me with the bigger start on offer. I just hope Batley don't get blown away at the start as the longer it remains close the more competitive they will become.
 
Pick: Batley +14 3pts @ 1.91 with Ladbrokes, Stan James or Betfred

The Man