Batley (6) 12
Tries: Walton, Lythe
Goals: Moore 2

Catalans (26) 74
Tries: Guisset, Fakir 2, Casty, Carlaw, Vaccari, Elima 2, Raguin, Bell, Ferriol, A Bentley Goals: Bosc 11

Batley's hopes of causing a Challenge Cup shock were ruthlessly destroyed by Catalans Dragons at Mount Pleasant.

Responding to the midweek shock of coach Kevin Walters' decision to quit, Dragons ran in five first-half tries.

Jerome Guisset, Jamal Fakir, Remy Casty, Dane Carlaw and Frederic Vaccari all crossed for the 2007 finalists.

Batley replied though Jason Walton and Kris Lythe either side of the break but Catalans ran in eight more after the restart to end up runaway winners.

Olivier Elima grabbed two of them, while Sebastien Raguin, Steven Bell, David Ferriol, Andrew Bentley, Tony Gigot and substitute Fakir, with his second try, all joined in the fun.

Stand-off Thomas Bosc converted 11 of his team's 13 tries as three-times winners Batley, the first-ever Challenge Cup winners in 1897, crashed out.

Batley, in the quarter-finals for the first time since the war, were aiming to reach the semi-finals for the first time in 99 years against the Super League's bottom club.

But, having become the first club to lose to French opposition in the Cup, 38-4 at home to Paris St Germain in the 1997 fourth round, this one proved an even more painful experience.

And, instead, Catalans now find themselves just 80 minutes away from their second Wembley appearance - a fine way for Walters to bow out, ahead of his scheduled exit at the end of the season.

The men from Perpignan, beaten finalists in 2007 when they lost 30-8 to St Helens, have claimed just four points from their opening 14 Super League games, so an upset was considered a real possibility.

But, following on from their 35-34 last-minute win at Crusaders in the last round, the visitors had too much power and pace for the plucky Bulldogs.

Batley prop Sean Hesketh was sin-binned after just 50 seconds for a late tackle on Bosc. And more indiscipline cost Batley an opening score after Ferriol was put down illegally.

From the penalty which followed, with just eight minutes gone, Ferriol drove the ball in and popped it right to the charging Guisset, who bulldozed his way over from close range.

The Catalans went over again on 21 minutes when Fakir, who had been on the pitch for less than a minute, profited from Lee Greenwood's spillage of a colossal Bosc bomb, as he hoovered up and piled over.

And, just three minutes later, Casty took a clever short ball new signing Brent Sherwin to go under the posts.

A fourth score came just shy of the half hour mark when Carlaw, who initially threatened to pass to Sherwin, instead held on and fended off two weak tackles to score.

Vaccari then crossed in the 34th minute but, on the stroke of half-time, Batley gave their fans something to cheer when Walton took a well-timed flat ball from Paul Handforth to crash over.

The home side claimed a second try in the 49th minute after Hesketh's grubber kick was touched down by the speedily advancing Lythe to catch the Catalans defence flat-footed, scrum-half Gareth Moore slotting his second conversion.

But, with the infamous nine-foot slope at Mount now to their advantage, the Catalans free-wheeled their way to eight tries in the final 23 minutes as Batley's wheels came off.

Catalans Dragons coach Kevin Walters said:

"I'm particularly happy for the players. We're into a semi-final and that's a great achievement, a good thing in what's been a pretty savage season for us.

"To tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous before the game. We only came up here on the day and the conditions were difficult.

"But it doesn't matter who you're playing so long as you apply yourself and win the game. In that second half when we got to play down the hill it was pretty tough going for them."

Batley coach Karl Harrison said:

"We're obviously disappointed with the eventual score but I can't fault the guys' effort.

"We were defending against a team full of Australia and French internationals you're going to concede points.

"But I thought we were on the wrong end of some poor refereeing decisions all night. That's what you get with Super League referees."

Batley: Campbell, Barlow, Griffin, Maun, L Greenwood, Handforth, Moore, Smith, Lythe, Hesketh, Walton, J Gallagher, Lindsay.
Replacements: Buttery, T Gallagher, Martin, Tootill.

Catalans Dragons: Pelo, Bell, Raguin, Sa, Vaccari, Bosc, Sherwin, Ferriol, K Bentley, Guisset, Elima, Carlaw, Johnson.
Replacements: Fakir, Casty, Gigot, A Bentley.

Referee: Ian Smith (Oldham).

Attendance: 2,132.

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