Championship point deductions overturned

Championship clubs Batley and Doncaster have had their three point deductions overturned by the RFL on appeal.

The two clubs had been punished for a breach of Operational Rules relating to dual-registration, having both fielded players who hadn’t satisfied the requirements relating to number of games played before the Championship registration deadline.

An RFL statement said: “After being presented with fresh evidence relating to previous historical breaches of Operational Rules by other clubs which had not faced similar sanctions, the Appeals Tribunal overturned the points deductions.”

It presents a fresh twist in the battle to avoid relegation, as the reversal means that Batley leapfrog Whitehaven in the table to the safety of 9th place.

The Cumbrian side had been able to climb out of the bottom five due to the points deduction, and a run of games that also saw them beat the Bulldogs.

With two games to play, Whitehaven and Batley now both have 39 points, with the Bulldogs better off on points difference by 79.

For Doncaster, the reversal all but ends Sheffield’s hopes of wrestling fourth place from them, while it also puts the Dons within a point of third placed Halifax.