Town run out of ideas as the Raiders race in for five tries
Last updated 13:46, Tuesday, 25 March 2008
Workington Town 10 Barrow Raiders 26: Barrow Raiders’ five-try display earned the Good Friday spoils against a Workington Town side that looked short on ideas at key moments.
Gone, but not forgotten, are the days of Kiwi trio Jonny Limmer, Lusi Sione and JT, but what the club would give for another Limmer to take the side by the scruff of the neck.
Scrum-half Jay Duffy, brought in to do just that, left the field after five minutes with a serious shoulder injury, and Town always struggled to gain enough momentum to seriously challenge the visitors, who are fancied for promotion from NL2.
Outstanding performances from Matty Tunstall and Shaun Lunt were the highlights for Town, but this is a team game and if Dave Rotheram's men were to beat the Raiders, it was a day when all 17 players had to turn it on.
The wind spoiled what promised to be an open, flowing game, unforced errors stopping play on a regular basis. Barrow went in 14-0 to the good at half-time, a fair reflection of play. But Town did have their moments.
Skipper Jamie Beaumont, somewhat harshly, was penalised after an adjudged high tackle on Raiders' captain Brett McDermott 25 metres out. Several plays later, former Town skipper Andrew Beattie gathered a loose ball after yet another error this time by the Raiders, before the ball was fed out to Adam Hughes by Pat Weisner for the opening touchdown in the sixth minute.
Beaumont, Ryan Benjafield and Iain Marsh all drove close for Town, before winger Martyn Wilson forced James Nixon in to touch 10 metres out as Barrow threatened.
Carl Forber missed the opportunity to reduce the arrears when he put a penalty wide from 35 metres in the 18th minute, Town subs Dean Burgess and Tunstall coming on to make valuable ground down the middle.
Wilson made a good break from deep but the move ended with a forward pass to hand possession back to Barrow, and the visitors extended their lead in the 24th minute when Hughes went in for his second try.
Brett Law caught a goal-line drop out in his own half before making ground and feeding Martin Ostler who broke clear before finding Hughes who went in for the easiest of tries for 8-0.
Full-back Mark McCully wasted a golden opportunity for Town in the 28th minute when he latched onto the end of a Forber chip, but he tried to go himself with men either side, Beattie making a crunching tackle to end the danger. Andy Ellis then punished Town when he went in from close range, Lavulavu missing the tackle, and Weisner added the two for 14-0.
Town finished the half on the Barrow try-line with Dexter Miller, Tunstall and Benjafield all going close.
A Mark Routledge break at the beginning of the second half indicated a more urgent Town, and several plays later, after another Tunstall drive to within a metre of the line, Shaun Lunt went over from acting half but was held up on the last tackle.
Town's first score of the day began with a Shaun Lunt break when the hooker fed Burgess, before Beaumont put Marsh over in the 50th minute to make it 14-4. But McCully couldn't prevent Weisner's restart going dead and, from the resulting dropout under the posts, Dave Armitstead collected to see Nixon go in at the corner. Weisner added the goal and Barrow led 20-4.
Marsh was then penalised for stealing the ball in the tackle for Weisner to slot the penalty for 22-4 in the 59th minute, before an individual touch of brilliance from Shaun Lunt on halfway saw him put brother Rob in to score under the posts. Forber converted and Town were back within bonus point range at 22-10.
But four minutes from time, Ostler put Hughes in the clear down the left for his second try of the game to complete Barrow's victory.
MATCH FACTS
Town: McCully, Blair, Routledge, Mossop, Wilson, Forber, Duffy, Benjafield, S Lunt, Beaumont, Miller, Campbell, R Lunt. Subs: Marsh Tunstall, Burgess, Lavulavu
Scorers – Tries: Marsh (50), R Lunt (71). Goal: Forber
Raiders: Beattie, Backhouse, Finch, Hughes, Nixon, Nichols, Law, Dutton, Ellis, McDermott, Whitehead, Ostler, Weisner. Subs: Archer, Armitstead, Butler, Raftery.
Scorers – Tries: Hughes (6, 24), Ellis (33), Nixon (53, 76). Goals: Weisner 3/6.
Penalties for: Town 15, Barrow 8
Referee: Matthew Kidd (Castleford)
Attendance: 928
Star Man: Matty Tunstall
