MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Batley Bulldogs
Jake Watson • 10 April 2025
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs Batley Bulldogs
London Broncos captain Will Lovell has previewed the Championship game on Saturday with Batley Bulldogs the visitors to The Cherry Red Records.
After the defeat to Featherstone Rovers in the 1895 Cup quarter-final last time out the group will be looking to bounce back and maintain the winning record at home in the league this season.
The weekend’s visitors come into the game directly under Broncos in the Championship table with the sides 9th and 10th respectively. Batley come into this weekend off the back of consecutive league defeats to Halifax Panthers and York Knights.
Will Lovell has played every minute in the Championship so far this season as he continues to show incredible durability and he says he is looking forward to being back at SW17 on Saturday.
Watch the full interview with Will below.
ONE TO WATCH - ELLIOT KEAR
London Broncos fans will need little introduction to the Welsh back Elliot Kear after playing for London Broncos 150 times between 2015-19.
Now aged 36 the Welshman is still very much playing and now wearing the colours of Batley Bulldogs after joining at the start of the 2023 season.
Comfortable in a variety of positions Kear is still a regular try scorer and will be one player in particular that the Broncos must keep an eye on.
THE STATS
LONDON BRONCOS v BATLEY BULLDOGS
Last ten meetings:
Batley 18, London Broncos 20 (ChR16, 25/6/23)
London Broncos 20, Batley 30 (ChR1, 5/2/23)
London Broncos 30, Batley 20 (ChR24, 21/8/22)
Batley 28, London Broncos 12 (ChR12, 22/5/22)
Batley 6, London Broncos 40 (ChR6, 15/5/21)
Batley 16, London Broncos 38 (ChR19, 1/7/18)
London Broncos 68, Batley 12 (ChR6, 11/3/18)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
London Broncos 58, Batley 4 (ChR23, 23/7/17)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
Batley 4, London Broncos 42 (ChR11, 17/4/17)
London Broncos 76, Batley 16 (S8Q-R2, 14/8/16)
(at Trailfinders Sports Ground, Ealing)
ALEX WALKER
needs two tries to reach 100 for his career.
- 81 for London Broncos (2014-2019, 2022-2025)
- 7 for Featherstone Rovers (2021, loan)
- 2 for Wakefield Trinity (2020-2021)
- 6 for London Skolars (2016, dual-registration)
- 2 for Scotland (2015, 2017, 2019, 2021-2022)
(0 for Hemel Stags, 2016, loan)
You can watch highlights of the victory against Batley, which was 9 years ago this week, on the link below.
Tickets for the game on Saturday are still available to buy - and you can do that HERE!
Prices are as follows;
Adult - £20
Concession - £15
Kids - £5
OR if you head over to the "REELS" section of the website you can access half-price adult tickets for the game this weekend.
Tickets for the "Broncos Bar" are also still available - watch the game from the best seat in the house with your own private bar
HERE!
MATCHDAY GUIDE
MATCH PREVIEW: London Broncos vs York Knights London Broncos welcome Championship rivals York Knights to The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking to put a stop to a run of three consecutive defeats. On the other side York have won 5 of their previous 6 games with the only defeat coming against Featherstone in a tightly contested affair being decided by just two points. For the Broncos they have performed strongly at home with the only home defeat coming against Batley who scored a try in the last moments of the game to steal the points. The 21-man squad selected by Mike Eccles is available below. Jenson Binks returns to the squad after missing the defeat to Halifax under HIA protocol in a welcome boost. Meanwhile, Lukas Mason & Kian McDermott return from Wigan Warriors after being unavailable for the previous few games. Emmanuel Waine plays the second game of his two week loan and Lennie Ellis joins Louix Gorman is coming from Hull KR and goes straight into the 21. Lennie Ellis is a 19-year-old half and hooker who made his first team debut against Wigan Warriors in 2023. Last season he played on loan in the Championship with Whitehaven and earlier this season played for Goole in League One.
WHO HAS PLAYED FOR BOTH? London Broncos & York Knights London Broncos play host to York Knights on Saturday but can you tell me what players that have had both clubs play host to them? We have picked out some to have played for both in recent years but can you add any more to the list below? SAM DAVIS A London Broncos academy product, the Leicester born hooker has enjoyed two spells in the capital, sandwiched either side of a spell in the yellow and black of York. Davis played for London between 2016-2021 before moving to York signing a two year deal, however injuries meant he never really settled and rejoined London in 2023 initially on loan before signing permanent terms. Following relegation from Super League at the end of the 2024 season Davis would move to Salford however financial issues there has meant Davis has once again signed dual-registration terms. So, whilst it won’t be this weekend we could see more of Sammy in a Broncos jersey in the future.
SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: London Broncos vs York Knights Mike Eccles has named his 21-man squad to face York Knights on Saturday (5pm KO) at The Cherry Red Records Stadium. Jenson Binks returns to the squad after missing the defeat to Halifax under HIA protocol in a welcome boost. Meanwhile, Lukas Mason & Kian McDermott return from Wigan Warriors after being unavailable for the previous few games. Emmanuel Waine plays the second game of his two week loan and Lennie Ellis joins Louix Gorman in coming from Hull KR and goes straight into the 21. Lennie Ellis is a 19-year-old half and hooker who made his first team debut against Wigan Warriors in 2023. Last season he played on loan in the Championship with Whitehaven and earlier this season played for Goole in League One.
THROWBACK THURSDAY: London Broncos MAGIC! On the eve of this year's Magic Weekend what better time to re-live our spectacular performance in the 2024 showpiece. London Broncos vs Hull FC was the opening game of the Weekend at Elland Road with both sides desperately looking to avoid finishing bottom of the division. Whilst The Black & Whites would finish off bottom spot by points difference it was Mike Eccles' side who would take the plaudits at Magic Weekend with a 29-4 win. Re-live the day with some of the best images and the video highlights below. #WeAreLondon
ANNOUNCEMENT: Sheffield Eagles match moved to Rosslyn Park FC London Broncos can confirm that the upcoming match with Sheffield Eagles on May 11th will now take place at Rosslyn Park FC. The decision has been made due to the uncertainty of the availability around The Cherry Red Records stadium with AFC Wimbledon potentially in play-off action on this date. Despite no current game definitely taking place on this date we have decided to make the decision now to avoid any late changes and allow fans from both teams to arrange necessary travel arrangements. The venue of the club's training ground at Rosslyn Park FC has been chosen to host this fixture due to its familiarity to supporters and players and therefore retaining home advantage. Rosslyn Park FC was the Club’s home ground during the 2021 season and has since been used to host fixtures for the London Broncos Women and the men’s Challenge Cup & 1895 Cup fixtures.
SULLIVAN SHIELD MATCH The 5th John Sullivan Trophy will take place on Saturday, May 24th at Harpenden Rugby Club. The game takes place in memory of former London Broncos academy player John Sullivan who tragically took his own life in 2014. The event aims to raise awareness of the issue of young male suicide and the importance of mental health more generally, in addition to raising funds for the Sullivan family’s chosen charity CALM – the Campaign Against Living Miserably .
IT'S GAMEWEEK!! London Broncos return to The Cherry Red Records Stadium on Saturday as we welcome York Knights to SW17 for Round 9 of the 2025 Championship campaign. The Broncos, who lost their first home league game of the season, in the previous home game against Batley will be looking to right those wrongs with a much needed win. The visitors currently sit in 6th place in the league table following 4 wins and 4 defeats from their opening 8 games. The game will take place on Saturday with a 5pm kick off with gates opening at 3pm. Ticket information and details can be found below.
Paul Sykes breaks another record! London Broncos all-time record points scorer Paul Sykes has become the first player in history to play in 27 consecutive seasons – and according to the Rugby League Record Keepers Club, that’s a new record. Sykes, who will turn 44 in August and was a member of the England squad for the 2008 World Cup, made his first competitive appearance of the 2025 season for Dewsbury Rams in Sunday’s Betfred League One fixture against Rochdale Hornets. And the man who previously held that record is Gus Risman, the Welsh Rugby League great who was a founder member of the sport’s Hall of Fame, having come north to play for Salford in 1929, then moved to Cumbria after the War to make more than 300 appearances for Workington Town, leading them to Wembley victory over Featherstone Rovers in the 1952 Challenge Cup Final.
FULL MATCH REPLAY: Halifax Panthers vs London Broncos You can now watch back the full 80 minutes of London Broncos Championship trip to Halifax at The Shay. #WeAreLondon
