{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2023}} {{Infobox football derby | name = Batley Bulldogs – Dewsbury Rams<br />The Heavy Woollen Derby | other names = | image = Tetley_stadium | caption = FLAIR Stadium, home of Dewsbury, hosts of the 2025 Boxing Day match | city or region = Heavy Woollen District, West Yorkshire, England | first contested = 30 October 1909 (Batley 8–4 Dewsbury) | teams involved = {{leagueicon|Batley|16}} Batley Bulldogs<br />{{leagueicon|Dewsbury|16}} Dewsbury Rams | stadiums = Mount Pleasant<br />Crown Flatt | mostrecent = 26 December 2025 (Dewsbury Rams 0-18 Batley Bulldogs) | nextmeeting = 5 April 2026 (Mount Pleasant, Batley) | most wins = Batley Bulldogs (32) | total = 56 | most player appearances = | largestvictory = }}
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''<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rugbyleagueproject.org/teams/batley-bulldogs/head2head.html|title = Batley Bulldogs - Head to Head - Rugby League Project}}</ref>
In all competitions, competitive and uncompetitive:
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !Played !Batley !Drawn !Dewsbury |- |53 |30 |0 |24 |}
===Meetings in major finals=== The two sides have never met in a major final.
==Collective Honours==
{|class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" !colspan="2"|Batley Bulldogs !rowspan="2"|Honour !colspan="2"|Dewsbury Rams |- !Rank !No. !No. !Rank |- |17th |1 |League (D1) |1 |17th |- |{{N/A}} |0 |League (D2) |2 |4th |- |12th |3 |Challenge Cup |2 |16th |- |8th |2 |Yorkshire League |0 |{{N/A}} |- |13th |1 |Yorkshire Cup |3 |9th |}
==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.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rugby-league.com/article/62367/festive-friendlies-preview |title=Festive Friendlies Preview |publisher=RFL |date=23 December 2023 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2018/jul/24/dewsbury-rams-batley-bulldogs-local-derby |title=Dewsbury, Batley and the most neighbourly of rugby league derbies |newspaper=The Guardian |date=24 July 2018 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2011/dec/25/boxing-day-sport |title=How Boxing Day sport became a permanent fixture in our hearts |newspaper=The Guardian |date=25 December 2011 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref>
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.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/heavy-woollen-derbys-a-tribute-to-former-leeds-rhinos-mr-reliable-roy-powell-177981 |title=Heavy Woollen derby's a tribute to former Leeds Rhinos' 'Mr Reliable', Roy Powell |newspaper=Yorkshire Evening Post |date=26 December 2016 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> ===Results=== {{Recentism|section|date=May 2021}}
<!-- 2005 result? - The current holders of the trophy are the Rams who won the game 48-12 in front of a home crowd of over 3000. --> {| class="wikitable" style="font-size:100%" |- ! scope="col" |Year ! scope="col" |Home team ! scope="col" |Result ! scope="col" |Away team ! scope="col" |Attendance ! scope="col" |Ref. |- | 2009 || Dewsbury || 12–20 || '''Batley''' || 2,411 ||<ref name="MR16dec2011">{{cite news |url=http://www.mirfieldreporter.co.uk/sport/rams-all-covered-for-big-derby-date-1-4064883 |date=16 December 2011 |title=Rams all covered for big derby date |newspaper=Mirfield Reporter |accessdate=5 December 2016 |archive-date=20 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220084312/http://www.mirfieldreporter.co.uk/sport/rams-all-covered-for-big-derby-date-1-4064883 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/news/article/38567/dewsbury-rams---- |title=Dewsbury Rams 12 - 20 Batley Bulldogs |publisher=Dewsbury Rugby League Club |date=26 December 2009 |accessdate=5 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220080515/http://www.dewsburyrams.co.uk/news/article/38567/dewsbury-rams---- |archive-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> |- | 2010{{efn|Postponed to 2 January 2011 due to poor weather}} || '''Batley''' || 30–6 || Dewsbury || 2,027 ||<ref name="MR16dec2011"/> |- | 2011 || '''Dewsbury''' || 28–6 || Batley || ||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.batleynews.co.uk/sport/six-try-dewsbury-rams-defeat-batley-bulldogs-in-boxing-day-derby-1-4094346 |date=27 December 2011 |title=Six-try Dewsbury Rams defeat Batley Bulldogs in Boxing Day derby |newspaper=Batley & Birstall News |accessdate=27 October 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027192311/http://www.batleynews.co.uk/sport/six-try-dewsbury-rams-defeat-batley-bulldogs-in-boxing-day-derby-1-4094346 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | 2012 || '''Batley''' || 28–18 || Dewsbury || ||<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/sport/rams-will-build-on-derby-effort-1-5258619 |date=28 December 2012 |title=Rams will build on derby defeat |newspaper=Dewsbury Reporter |accessdate=27 October 2016}}</ref> |- | 2013 || Dewsbury || 4–10 || '''Batley''' || ||<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/batley/boixing-day-match-report-dewsbury-rams-4-batley-bulldogs-10-1-6338902 |date=27 December 2013 |title=Boixing Day match report: Dewsbury Rams 4 Batley Bulldogs 10 |newspaper=Yorkshire Evening Post |last=Blake |first=Luke |accessdate=27 October 2016}}</ref> |- | 2014 || '''Batley''' || 18–16 || Dewsbury || ||<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.batleynews.co.uk/sport/rugby/bulldogs-edge-out-rams-in-boxing-day-thriller-1-7022007 |date=26 December 2014 |title=Bulldogs edge out Rams in Boxing Day thriller |newspaper=Batley & Birstall News |last=Hunt |first=Andrew |accessdate=27 October 2016 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027125114/http://www.batleynews.co.uk/sport/rugby/bulldogs-edge-out-rams-in-boxing-day-thriller-1-7022007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | 2015 || Dewsbury || 4–12 || '''Batley''' || 2,123 ||<ref>{{cite web |url=http://batleybulldogs.co.uk/index.php/team/fixtures-a-results-2017-2 |title=Fixtures & Results |publisher=Batley Bulldogs |accessdate=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027124425/http://batleybulldogs.co.uk/index.php/team/fixtures-a-results-2017-2 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |- | 2016 || '''Batley''' || 28–18 || Dewsbury || ||<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.loverugbyleague.com/news_24451-batley-down-dewsbury.html|title=Batley down Dewsbury|publisher=Love Rugby League|date=26 December 2016|accessdate=28 December 2016}}</ref> |- | 2017 || Dewsbury || 16–28 || '''Batley''' || ||<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/batley/dewsbury-rams-16-batley-bulldogs-28-bulldogs-overhaul-12-man-rams-1-8927707|date=26 December 2017|title=Dewsbury Rams 16 Batley Bulldogs 28: Bulldogs overhaul 12-man Rams|newspaper=Yorkshire Evening Post|last=Hunt|first=Andrew|accessdate=31 December 2017}}</ref> |- | 2018 || '''Batley''' || 16–10 || Dewsbury || ||<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ikE5oTws5OQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/ikE5oTws5OQ |archive-date=19 December 2021 |url-status=live|title = Highlights Batley Bulldogs vs Dewsbury Rams 26 December 2018|website=YouTube }}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- | 2019 || Dewsbury || 14–14 || Batley || ||<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zuTVkub7rBA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/zuTVkub7rBA |archive-date=19 December 2021 |url-status=live|title = Highlights Dewsbury Rams vs Batley Bulldogs 26 December 2019|website=YouTube }}{{cbignore}}</ref> |- | 2020 | colspan=5 rowspan=2{{N/A|Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic}} |- | 2021 |- | 2022 || '''Batley''' || 32–22 || Dewsbury || ||<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dewsburyreporter.co.uk/sport/rugby-league/batley-bulldogs-edge-dewsbury-rams-in-festive-derby-3966859 |title=Batley Bulldogs edge Dewsbury Rams in festive derby |newspaper=Dewsbury Reporter |date=27 December 2022 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> |- | 2023 || Dewsbury || 12–12 || Batley || 1,893 ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.loverugbyleague.com/post/boxing-day-round-up-leeds-rhinos-come-from-behind-to-beat-wakefield-trinity-sean-long-perfect-oldham-start |title=Boxing Day round-up: Leeds Rhinos come from behind to beat Wakefield Trinity & Sean Long’s perfect start at Oldham |website=Love Rugby League |date=26 December 2023 |access-date=14 May 2024}}</ref> |- | 2024 || '''Batley''' || 36–16 || Dewsbury || 1,883 ||<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.totalrl.com/batley-bulldogs-claim-boxing-day-honours-over-dewsbury-rams/|title=Batley Bulldogs claim Boxing Day honours over Dewsbury Rams |work= Total Rugby League|accessdate=7 April 2025}}</ref> |}
==See also== {{Portal|Sports|England}} *Festive Challenge *West Yorkshire derbies *Derbies in the Rugby Football League
==Notes== {{noteslist}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
Category:Batley Bulldogs Category:Dewsbury Rams Category:Rugby league rivalries Category:Sports rivalries in the United Kingdom Category:Boxing Day
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