Barrow Raiders beat Haven in Cumbrian derby
Last updated at 12:16, Tuesday, 19 May 2009
BARROW took on Cumbrian rivals Whitehaven at their own game and won in a scrappy affair at Craven Park.
Ignoring the free-flowing open rugby that saw them run both Halifax and Wigan close, Barrow instead took the game to their visitors down the middle of the park, engaging in an 80-minute battle of the forwards.
The result was a game that never really took off, but one from which Raiders emerged with the three points to join their county neighbours at the top of the Championship table.
It was a result achieved in spite of Barrow conceding a string of penalties through – 12 in total come the final whistle – and giving wingers James Nixon and Chris Larkin very little chance to run at their opposite numbers.
The three tries the home side scored all came from forwards – even if Jamie Butler’s opening effort came from clever kicking and chasing by the Barrow team – demonstrating an ability by Barrow to win even when they are not playing their preferred style of the game.
Haven came to Furness with a 100 per cent record from their opening three league games having disposed of Gateshead, Featherstone and Toulouse already this season.
But they also came with problems in the pack – Karl Edmondson their one recognised prop and Spencer Miller drafted in to keep him company in the front row.
You wouldn’t have known the visitors had such problems as they spent the majority of the match driving up the middle – though that approach failed to yield any real results, their two tries coming one from Leroy Joe out wide and the other from a Gregg McNally interception.
The visitors came close to taking an early lead when Graeme Mattinson weaved around near the line, but former Haven full-back Gary Broadbent was aware of his wily ways and brought him down before he could pounce.
There was no-one to stop Butler at the other end though as he went over the whitewash.
The try was built on a break by Nixon and Harrison down the left and a high, hanging kick on the last tackle from Liam Finch that had Craig Calvert waiting under a swirling ball.
But his static stance was no match for the running leap of Zeb Luisi, who jumped high to claim the ball and then fed to the supporting Butler, who was the right man in the right place at the right time to dive in and make it 6-0.
The two defences were matching each other, with Andy Ellis stopped from his usual dummy half position on several occasions and Barrow made to withstand several sets of six on their line as they conceded needless penalties once more.
The battle boiled over as both Andy Brocklehurst and Ryan McDonald – the latter having only just come onto the field – were sin-binned for fighting and it was Haven who fared best with 12 men on the field. They went closer and closer to the Barrow line and the pressure eventually told as Joe collected from dummy half near the right corner and forced through both Harrison and Nixon.
The try was too wide out to convert, but Haven still held the upper hand despite being two points down, Larkin conceding a drop-out from a McNally chip on the last tackle and then Brocklehurst giving up a penalty 25 metres out for lifting in the tackle and McNally bringing the scores level.
It looked as though it would be the visitors who would kick on now, but instead Barrow started to fire, a burst from Andy Bracek seeing him free, but McDonald getting a crucial hand to the ball as he went to pass inside to the supporting Liam Campbell.
This gave Barrow impetus though and Liam Finch was soon feeding new boy Lee Mossop close to the line, the big forward making no mistake as he ploughed over for a 12-6 lead.
That lead became 12 points on the back of a Finch 40/20 that put Raiders close to the Haven line and ended with Brocklehurst forcing his way in close to the corner as half-time approached.
The first half may have been a non-stop battle, but it had moments of quality like this, while the second offered few scoring chances from either side – though McNally did race in from 60 yards after intercepting a poor pass from Luisi out on the wing.
Neither side showed any real conviction that they could score again and neither did as the derby match petered out, with Barrow taking a valuable three points and pushing on into their Easter Monday game at Leigh.
Barrow Raiders: Gary Broadbent, Chris Larkin, Zeb Luisi, Liam Harrison, James Nixon, Liam Finch, Liam Campbell, Brett McDermott, Andy Ellis, Jamie Butler, Ned Catic, Martin Ostler, Andy Brocklehurst.
Subs: Chris Young, Andy Bracek, Lee Mossop, Paul Noone.
Whitehaven: Craig Benson, Ade Adebisi, Derry Eilbeck, John John Patrick, Craig Calvert, Leroy Joe, Gregg McNally, Spencer Miller, Graeme Mattinson, Karl Edmondson, Scott McAvoy, Andy Gorski, Jamie Theoharous.
Subs: Chris Smith, Ryan McDonald, Dexter Miller, Kyle Amor.
Attendance: 3,202.
Referee: Robert Hicks.
PLAYBACK
NINE MINUTES: Jamie Butler try, Andy Brocklehurst conversion, 6-0.
16 MINUTES: Ryan McDonald sin-binned, fighting.
16 MINUTES: Andy Brocklehurst sin-binned, fighting.
23 MINUTES: Leroy Joe try, 6-4.
28 MINUTES: Gregg McNally penalty, 6-6.
34 MINUTES: Lee Mossop try, Paul Noone conversion, 12-6.
38 MINUTES: Brocklehurst try, Noone conversion, 18-6.
63 MINUTES: McNally try and conversion, 18-12.
First published at 14:53, Friday, 10 April 2009
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
