Batley Boys face Shaw Cross Sharks in tasty National Conference derby opener

Shaw Cross Sharks Sam Bastow dives over for a try during his sides Pennine League derby clash against Thornhill Trojans. The Sharks are having a fine season in Division Two under coach Andrew Tillotson, who will now take charge of the National Conference League side.

The Boys have signalled their intentions to make a big impact this season and have moved the derby clash to Batley Bulldogs’ Fox’s Biscuits Stadium.

The Sharks have suffered successive relegations as they slipped from Division One to Division Three but they are starting a new era with Andrew Tillotson taking over as their head coach.

Tillotson will be looking to continue the good work he has done in his role of Pennine League coach alongside his assistant Martin Woodhead, who will also stay in position.

The Sharks went down 42-6 away to Dewsbury Celtic in the Ben Restall memorial game a fortnight ago but will look to hit the ground running in what should be a tasty derby.

Batley Boys will looking to improve on their debut season in the National Conference when they suffered a play-off semi-final defeat against Dewsbury Celtic having finished the regular campaign in fifth place with 16 wins, two draws and eight defeats from their 26 matches.

Admission on Saturday is £3 for adults, with Under-16s free.

Conference Division Three starts a fortnight earlier then the rest with the likes of Thornhill Trojans, Dewsbury Moor and Dewsbury Celtic not due to kick off until March 7.

Thornhill will look to build on their Challenge Cup heroics, which saw them cruelly denied a famous win over Doncaster a fortnight ago when the Betfred League One side grabbed a dramatic last ditch try to seal a 24-20 victory.

They will look for a quick return to the top flight, under new coach Danny Ratcliffe, and begin their Division One campaign at home to Stanningley on March 7.

Dewsbury Celtic won promotion to Division Two via the play-offs last season and having beaten Batley Boys in the semi-finals went on to overcome Heworth 30-16 in the final.

They start at home to Barrow Island in a fornight’s time, with neighbours Dewsbury Moor making the short trip to Normanton Knights.

The Boys have also been drawn against old rivals Dewsbury Celtic in the Heavy Woollen ARL Jim Brown Cup semi-finals, with a date to be arranged.