![]() ![]() “ But 10 or 15 minutes before kick-off, the rain went and the conditions were fine. ![]() “ It was a bit of a strange one because we were expecting the weather to be atrocious and put a game plan in place for that, ” Lingard explains. The Bulldogs earned their place in today ’ s game with a gritty 22-8 semi-final win at York Knights that could have seen Lingard ’ s pre-match plans thrown out of the window. “ From a personal point of view, I never got anywhere near Wembley as a player, so to do it as a coach and in my last season at Batley where I played is a fairytale ending for me. “ For us to be the first group of people to take Batley Rugby League Club to Wembley is an absolute honour for all of us. We ’ re realistic enough to know that we ’ re not going to get to a Challenge Cup final as a Championship club, and that ’ s why the 1895 Cup is a great introduction - it gives us something to aim for. “The 1895 Cup allows players outside of Super League to have that opportunity. “ A few of the squad are closer to the end of their careers than the start now, and they felt that it might be their last chance to play in a showpiece event at Wembley. ![]() Before a ball was kicked they said they wanted to have a real crack at this competition. “ It was something that the playing group - not the coaching staff - highlighted before the start of the season. “ It ’ s massive, absolutely huge, ” Lingard says. Craig Lingard’ s Bulldogs side will run out at Wembley for the first time, writing their own chapter in the club ’ s storied history when they take on Halifax Panthers. This afternoon, in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup, all of that changes. īut since the switch to Wembley, which first took place in 1929, Batley haven ’ t graced the final again, becoming one of a select few long-standing Rugby League clubs never to have played at the national stadium. On two further occasions, the following year and in 1901, the club would again hold the famous trophy aloft. Over a century ago, Batley, one of the founding members of the Northern Union, made history by lifting the inaugural Challenge Cup when they beat St Helens 10-3 at Headingley. Craig Lingard ’ s Bulldogs aiming to write their own chapter ![]()
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