Eaton eyes cup progress

Hunslet coach Barry Eaton wants the Hawks to make the most of home advantage against Batley on Sunday and hopefully secure a tie against a Super League club in the fifth round.

They got off the mark in the Championship with a 20-6 win over York last weekend, and attention now turns to the Challenge Cup, when John Kear’s Bulldogs come to town.

Eaton said: “Home draw is vital in the Cup but we know it will be tough. John Kear has a great cup pedigree and he and the Batley club are steeped in Cup history so he knows how to do it and what’s required to go all the way.

“But we know we’re one game away from a massive fixture potentially against a top Super League side and that would be great for the players on the field and the club off the field as well.”

Hunslet last reached the fifth round of the Cup in 2010 and Eaton knows a Batley side coached by John Kear will be no pushover, but he remains confident that his side can come out with the victory on home soil and avenge the 28-24 defeat inflicted by the Bulldogs when the sides met at the same stage in 2009.