ADD ANOTHER family divided on Hull derby day as James Batchelor looks to get one over brother Joe.
Dad Clive will love it as the pair go head-to-head, mum Wendy will be taken back to the days when she used to shout at them for breaking windows or wrecking ornaments in backyard matches.
Today sees Hull KR and Hull FC face off for the 250th time. It will be the first for the family after older brother Joe joined the Black and Whites.
As he returns from a calf injury, a familiar face will be lying in wait at Craven Park – and James knows how to get under his skin.
The 27-year-old, four years the junior, said: “Someone’s ignoring my texts. He must have blocked me.
“I hope Joe does play, I hope he gets to experience the Hull derby because they are special, but ultimately, I want him to be on the losing side.
“We played against each other in gardens, so we’re pretty used to it and having a bit of a dig at each other.
“There are probably a few scares on each of us that we’re responsible for and a fair few windows were replaced. There was a fair bit of damage to the house.
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“My dad loves it, my mum hates it. I’ll get a text fromdad, saying, ‘There’s no way you can let these boys turn up and beat you at your place.’
“My brother will get one saying, ‘There’s no way you can go there and let them beat you in their own back garden.’
“My mum will text saying, ‘Make sure you look after your brother out there.’ She’ll be a bit of a nervous wreck.
“We like winding each other up and getting into each other quite a bit and Joe definitely bites more.
“He’s got a level that he can’t help himself with. Me and his mates know how to push his buttons.”
Families are not the only thing divided on derby day in Hull. The city is very much split, with some people being more territorial than others.
Just ask former Rovers star Clint Newton, who learned that the hard way.
He told The Bye Round podcast: “I remember on one of my first days there I went to the supermarket, Sainsbury’s.
“I was pushing my trolley down the aisle, trying to understand where the food is, and I see what looks like a husband and wife in FC shirts.
“They walk towards me and the wife says, ‘What the f*** are you doing on this side of town? F*** off back to east Hull, you red and white b*****d.
“I’m like, ‘S***. What am I going to do here?’ So I went, ‘Right, when I’m not playing for KR and not wearing the red and white, you keep your opinion to yourself.’
“The wife was shocked and the husband went, ‘Fair play to you lad.’
“But the people have everything that’s good about them and this deep passion and conviction for their teams – KR, FC and Hull City.”
