WIDNES were given the fright of their lives by Championship side Batley Bulldogs but managed to grimly hang on for a 26-22 victory in the Ladbrokes Challenge Cup.

Batley coach John Kear has some Challenge Cup history and masterminded the famous Sheffield Eagles victory over Wigan at Wembley in 1998.

Vikings boss Denis Betts was in the Wigan side that day and nearly found himself on the wrong end of the Kear magic once again.

Widnes were gifted an early opportunity when Batley spilled the ball under their own posts on the first tackle of the game, but it came to nothing when Gil Dudson returned the favour.

From that point on, for long spells of this game, you'd have been hard-pressed to tell which of the two was the Championship side.

The Bulldogs were showing plenty of enterprise on attack, with giant prop forward Alex Rowe to the fore, and a mean spirit in defence.

On 14 minutes Dudson broke clear up the middle but the Vikings couldn't capitalise.

It took until the 19th minute for the first try to come.

Widnes winger Paddy Flynn fielded a kick on his own '20' and immediately sent a long pass to fullback Jack Owens who sent another spinning to Patrick Ah Van on the opposite flank.

Ah Van made big inroads into Bulldogs territory from where Kevin Brown and Matt Whitley combined to send Lloyd White under the posts.

However, the expected points avalanche still didn't arrive as Chris Clarkson knocked on from the kick-off and from the resulting pressure Rowe bullocked over from close range to make it 6-6.

White had a try disallowed for a Whitley forward pass but the Vikings hit the front on 29 minutes when a booming Brown pass saw the impressive Ah Van surging over.

Five minutes later Brown crashed over from a Joe Mellor short ball and the Widnes skipper went in again after a sharp dummy on the back of a Cameron Phelps break.

Owens goaled the first of Brown's tries to give a half-time score of 20-6.

The Vikings started the second half looking sprightly and quickly increased their lead when Brown, Whitely and Owens combined to send Phelps in for a six-pointer.

Brown knocked on a difficult Mellor pass with the line open before Widnes again returned to their sloppy ways.

Owens spilled a downfield kick and Batley made the most of it when winger Wayne Reittie outjumped Ah Van to score from a Leatherbarrow cross-field bomb.

Suddenly the visitors had their tails up again and made it 26-16 when substitute Matt Fozard dummied his way through a dozing Vikings defence.

The small army of travelling fans scented blood and were given further encouragement by a long break by fullback James Craven.

A series of repeat sets on the Widnes line kept up the pressure with mistakes and penalties mounting against Widnes.

Rowe was held up over the line but the Bulldogs were over again when Craven's overhead pass found Reittie in space on the right flank. Leatherbarrow's superb conversion made it 26-22 and all to play for with eleven minutes remaining.

The Vikings were feeling the pressure and it was showing.

Rash offloads and silly penalties were the order of the day and a massive upset looked possible.

But somehow, Widnes survived to book their place in the quarter-finals and Batley were given a throroughly derserved standing ovation from the Vikings fans as they left the field.

Widnes: Owens; Flynn, Marsh, Phelps, Ah Van; Brown, Mellor; Joseph, White, Dudson, Clarkson, Whitley, Isa. Subs: Heremaia, Dean, Leuluai, Manuokafoa.

Batley: Craven; Reittie, Faal, Bretherton, Ainscough; Leak, Leatherbarrow; Gledhill, Blake, Rowe, Scott, Day, Brown. Subs: Chandler, Fozard, Lillycrop, Hesketh.

Referee: J Cobb.

Half-time: 20-6.

Attendance: 3,866.