The Fox's Biscuit Stadium was the venue for a fifth round Ladbrokes Challenge Cup match, the local derby between the Championships third and fifth placed sides, Batley Bulldogs and Featherstone Rovers.

Jon Sharp's Rovers met John Kear's Bulldogs in a Championship round two game at Post Office Road earlier in the season, and won by a narrow 14-12 scoreline, but coming into today's game there was very little to choose between the two sides on paper.

The prize on offer was a place in the sixth round and the chance of an outing against one of the top Super League sides.

Batley won the toss and elected to play up the famous hill in the first half.

It was first blood to the Bulldogs on seven minutes when a Brambani high kick caused havoc in the Featherstone defence and Shaun Squires grounded a bouncing ball in the goal area. Walker failed to convert.

After the Bulldogs got great field position with a 40-20 in the twenty-fourth minute, Misi Taulapapa stole the ball, one on one, from David Scott and went eighty metres to score just evading Wayne Rettie's tackle. Johnson made an awful effort at the conversion and the sides were tied at 4-4.

There was plenty of effort and endeavour for the remainder of the half which kept the video referee busy right up until the half-time hooter, when Featherstone took advantage of a penalty for a ball steal twenty from the Batley line allowing Kyran Johnson to kick the two.

It took eighteen minutes of the second half for Batley to go back in front when James Harrison took advantage of a Brambini break when he took the inside pass to wrongfoot the last line of Featherstone defence and ground under the sticks giving Pat Walker an easy conversion for 10-6.

Within two minutes Shaun Ainscough extended the lead when James Brown did all the work before the Bulldogs winger came back inside to score. Walker missed the conversion but the lead was now out to eight points.

On sixty-three Dom Brambani got in on the scoring action with a solo try from twenty metres dodging past the Featherstone tacklers. Walker added the conversion and Batley had booked their place in the sixth round draw.

Cain Southernwood made it four tries in a devastating seven minute spell when he took a one-handed offload from Keegan Hirst to crash over. Again Walker added the extras for 26-6.

Jamie Cording palmed off a tackle to go ten metres for a Featherstone consolation on seventy-one but Johnson missed the conversion attempt and his side were still sixteen points adrift with time running out.

A Walker penalty extended the lead to eighteen points at 28-10 with just a minute remaining and they ran the clock down for a comfortable win.

The Bulldogs took full advantage of local knowledge and used the Mount Pleasant slope brilliantly the take the win thanks to an electric seven minute period which saw them crash over the whitewash four times. Cup King John Kear's side are in the hat and the other clubs involved in the draw will all be looking to avoid a trip to Batley.

Bulldogs: Scott, Reittie, Cowling, Squires (T), Ainscough (T), Southernwood (T), Brown, Blake, Hirst, Bretherton, Day, Bambani (T), Walker (4G). Subs: Gledhill, Lillycrop, Leak, Harrison (T).

Rovers: (TBC) Hardman, Johnson (G), Tagg, Taulapapa (T), Milner, Turner, Craven, Bostock, Spears, Davies, Cording (T), Ormondroyd, Hill. Subs: Thackeray, Griffin, Cooper, Blockley.

Referee: Gareth Hewer.

Attendance: 1,461