Fans flying in from around the globe to back Batley
BATLEY Bulldogs will be backed by an army of fans from around the world when they face Widnes Vikings in the Northern Rail Cup final at Blackpool a week on Sunday.
Thousands of supporters are making the trip to Bloomfield Road to see the Bulldogs in their first major final for 58 years.
Among those is life-long Batley supporter Bruce Thewlis, 63, who has lived in the Colombian capital Bogota for 33 years and always organises trips home to coincide with Bulldogs games.
Bruce, who was born in Batley and went to Heckmondwike Grammar School, has supported the club for 58 years and will be staying with his brother Norman in Middlestown.
He said: "The first thing I'll do when I get back home is catch up with my family and have a coffee with (Batley Bulldogs general manager) Paul Harrison to get an update on all things Batley.
"Getting to this final marks important progress for the Bulldogs, a small but well run club."
Bruce said his earliest memory of watching Batley was as a pupil at Staincliffe Church of England School when he played truant and saw them beaten by Warrington in a Challenge Cup tie.
Bruce will be joined in Blackpool by his sons Richard, 31, and, Andrew, 21, who are flying in together from their holiday in Miami.
The final will also see many family members reunited to back the Bulldogs.
Richard Walker, a regular at Mount Pleasant who has supported the club for 40 years, will be cheering Batley on with his father Gerald, son Nathan and brother Chris, who is flying in on the day of the game from Guernsey.
They will also be joined by his sister Diane Niemiec and her husband Graham Miller (a Huddersfield Giants fan) who are coming from Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates to roar Batley to victory.
Another fan flying in is Heinz Alder, 53 from Goldach, near St Gallen, in eastern Switzerland, with his friend Roger Boppart, 48.
Heinz, who has supported Batley for six years after being introduced to the sport by Bulldogs fan John McVeigh, said: "Mount Pleasant is a tiny gem and makes you very welcome. I really enjoy the atmosphere. Rugby League is a fantastic team sport.
"I really hope the Bulldogs win the final. It would be the culmination of a fantastic season and would be well deserved for the team, coaching staff and board who have made a huge effort over the past few years."
Nigel Warburton, a Batley supporter for more than 40 years, will also be going the extra mile to make the final.
He is secretary of the North East Worcestershire Ravens (formerly Redditch Ravens) in the Midlands RLC competition and has been having a lot of banter with their chairman David Parsons, who is originally from Widnes and supports the Vikings.
Nigel said: It should be an interesting day. Before the game the Ravens travel to Leamington Royals for a league fixture, then it's straight up the M6 to Blackpool.
"Hopefully Batley will win
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the cup and I will then have bragging rights for the rest of the season."
Many fans from Batley and throughout West Yorkshire are also set to cross the Pennines and Bulldogs chairman Kevin Nicholas said: "This is a great day for the town and I'm amazed how many Batley fans will be heading for Blackpool.
"We've got coaches heading from London, Norfolk, Birmingham and even a few supporters heading down from Scotland. Many of the amateur RL clubs and pubs across the area are running their own buses and we've even had reports that Dewsbury fans are running their own coach to the game!
"Our friends at Marske United FC in the North East, where our mascot Battler the Bulldog makes regular appearances, are also sending a coach to the final. It promises to be a big Bulldogs convoy across the Pennines.
Mr Nicholas added: "We've been selling lots of merchandise and have even launched a special shirt that we will be playing in. It features the names of all those Batley players who've played in this year's Northern Rail Cup.
"We've got 200 Bulldogs flags arriving from China for supporters and everyone at the club is looking forward to our day in the spotlight and the chance to bring some silverware back to West Yorkshire."
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Weather for Batley
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
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Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
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