Championship clubs could be deducted points

Championship clubs Batley and Doncaster could be deducted points after they were charged by the RFL for breaching dual-registration rules.

The breaches centre around Operational Rule D1.20, which states that “dual registration players who have a salary cap value of £20,000 or more must have played in at least three league fixtures for the Championship club that season before the end-of-season registration deadline in order to play in games which fall after the deadline, whether they be regular season or play-off games.”

Batley fielded Jacob Fairbank, of Huddersfield, against Sheffield, while Hull centre Ben Crooks turned out for Doncaster against Keighley on July 27, two days after the Championship registration deadline.

The charges will be heard by an independent Operational Rules Tribunal on August 14.

If found guilty, the clubs face a fine and/or a points deduction.

A points deduction could put Batley’s future in the Championship in jeopardy – they are currently just three points clear of the relegation zone with four games to play.

Dewsbury were earlier cleared of any wrong-doing following a similar investigation in to their fielding of Bradford player Sam Wood.