In this N F P match played on 02 Jul 2000 at Mount Pleasant , the referee was Nick Oddy (Halifax), and 685 people watched. In wet and miserable weather, the half time score was 8- 2, and both teams received 6 penalties.		GAMESTAR Chris Percival
Batley Bulldogs	8
Widnes Vikings	24

TWO GAMES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE

At half time, Widnes fans were cursing David Hulme, criticising the players and thinking of what they had left behind in Widnes. Such was the lacklustre performance from Widnes, that the players were booed off at half-time. Whether it was that, or the potential embarrassment, Batley's loss of key players, or (as I suspect) David Hulme allowing the players to express themselves, the game was totally different in the second half.
Conspiracy theories abound as to why Widnes played such a boring, ineffectual game in the first half, and against Hull KR. Was Hulme trying to keep us in the NFP? Did he want morale to slip so low that he got a chance to do it his way next year? Or (a long shot, but I hope I'm right) by starting to play an open game in the second half, does he want the players to discover themselves just in time for the crucial play off matches?
Anyway, on with the report...
Paul Mansson's return to the fold started in horrific fashion when he missed a tackle on Hicks who fed Lingard for the Batley try. But that was about the only tackle he missed. The New Zealander shrugged off his expected lack of match fitness to tackle all day, as he usually does, and keep Batley at bay.
But the lack of direction showed, and only the odd Cantillon break looked like giving Widnes any kind of boost. Apart from "play-the-ball to a forward and drive", the only move Widnes came up with was "play-the-ball to a halfback to a forward then drive". Lowly though Batley are, this was never going to tax them.
Then, in the second half, the game turned.
Four minutes from the restart, Mansson kicked the ball through for Birdseye to pounce over the line near the posts. The kicking nightmare continues as Birdseye missed the easy effort. BRING BACK BING!!!
Mansson put Percival away by slipping a lovely ball out of the tackle, but the centre was cut short. This was a big game for Percival. Whenever he got the ball with more than an inch of space, he tore the defence to shreds, and looks eager for work.
Munro came extremely close after a long range run, and Briers was bundle into touch near the line, but the tries looked imminent.
Cantillon weaved his way through from the play the ball for a trademark try from Widnes' most potent attacking weapon.
Briers took the ball from Percival to score in the corner after Chris gave us another lovely run. And when Munro stretched through and skirted the defence, the game was won with 7 minutes left.
Batley didn't give up the ghost, and continued to take the game to Widnes, but their sheer desperation resulted in a couple of unnecessary spills.
So, to Featherstone for the first step in a mammoth climb to the title. Can we do it? Based on the first half performance, don't even bother to go. If they can pull off some of the moves they showed in the second half, prepare yourselves for a shock!

WIDNES

1. Damian Munro
2. Liam Jones
3. Chris Percival
4. Eddie Kilgannon
5. James Briers
6. Paul Mansson
7. Lee Birdseye
8. Simon Knox
9. Phil Cantillon
10. Steve Argent
11. Steve Gee
12. Chris Murphy
13. Tommy Hodgkinson
14. Karl Long
15. Esene Faimalo
16. Mick Hill
17. Lee Hansen