Batley Bulldogs’ scheduled friendly clash against Championship rivals Sheffield Eagles has become the latest to succumb to the weather.
The Bulldogs were due to host Sheffield on Sunday afternoon, a week before they kick off their Championship campaign. It would have been a stern test of their mettle as well, with Sheffield fancied to kick on and push towards the top of the table in 2026.
The clash would have also provided supporters with an inkling about how the Bulldogs might look under James Ford this season following his appointment as head coach in the off-season.
However, the pitch at Mount Pleasant is currently frozen and with the cold weather forecast to stick around over the weekend, the expectation is that the surface will be unplayable. As such, a decision has been made to call off the friendly with two days’ notice.
It means the next time the two sides take to the field will be next weekend when the competitive action gets underway, with the Eagles travelling to Whitehaven, while Batley are currently due to host Featherstone Rovers.
It’s not the first friendly to bite the dust ahead of the weekend, with Castleford Tigers calling their friendly with Oldham off, too. That game was due to be played on Saturday but the decision was made yesterday to cancel the fixture due to the freezing conditions.
Of course, a number of matches are due to be played this weekend with Super League sides Wigan Warriors, St Helens, Warrington Wolves and Bradford Bulls among those taking to the field in friendlies against Championship opposition.
How the weather might affect those games is hard to say at this point, but the RFL have confirmed their first disruption in the Challenge Cup first round. Rochdale Mayfield are due to take on Ince Rose Bridge and while that game is still due to go ahead, it will no longer be played in front of the BBC cameras.
Due to a frozen pitch in Rochdale, the decision has been made to broadcast Thatto Heath Crusaders versus Seaton Rangers instead. That game will be shown live at 2pm on Saturday on the iPlayer.
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