The Heavy Woollen Derby refers to the rugby league rivalry between Batley Bulldogs and Dewsbury Rams, both located in the Heavy Woollen district of West Yorkshire. The two sides compete an annual friendly on Boxing Day to celebrate their rivalry.
Head-to-head record Statistics correct as of 19/5/21
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
PlayedBatleyDrawnDewsbury5330024
Meetings in major finals The two sides have never met in a major final.
Collective Honours
Batley BulldogsHonourDewsbury RamsRankNo.No.Rank17th1League (D1)117th0League (D2)24th12th3Challenge Cup216th8th2Yorkshire League013th1Yorkshire Cup39th
Boxing Day Challenge The Boxing Day Challenge is an annual Rugby league friendly match that takes place on 26 December in which the teams compete for the Roy Powell Trophy. The venue alternates between the two sides' home grounds: Crown Flatt (The Tetley's Stadium) and the Fox's Biscuits Stadium (Mount Pleasant) respectively. Before the move to the summer season from 1996, the teams would often meet for matches on Boxing Day and New Year's Day as part of their regular league schedule.
The trophy is named in honour of Roy Powell who died on 27 December 1998. Powell was born in Dewsbury, and in 1998 had been part of the Batley team that won the Trans-Pennine Cup. Results
YearHome teamResultAway teamAttendanceRef. 2009 Dewsbury 12–20 Batley 2,411 2010 Batley 30–6 Dewsbury 2,027 2011 Dewsbury 28–6 Batley 2012 Batley 28–18 Dewsbury 2013 Dewsbury 4–10 Batley 2014 Batley 18–16 Dewsbury 2015 Dewsbury 4–12 Batley 2,123 2016 Batley 28–18 Dewsbury 2017 Dewsbury 16–28 Batley 2018 Batley 16–10 Dewsbury 2019 Dewsbury 14–14 Batley 2020 colspan=5 rowspan=2 2021 2022 Batley 32–22 Dewsbury 2023 Dewsbury 12–12 Batley 1,893 2024 Batley 36–16 Dewsbury 1,883
See also
Festive Challenge West Yorkshire derbies Derbies in the Rugby Football League
Notes
References