barrow raiders 28 leigh miners rangers 12
A magnificent Challenge Cup performance by Miners pushed Championship side Barrow all the way at Craven Park in a display the amateurs can be rightfully proud of. Leading 12-6 at the break against a side two levels up the rugby league hierarchy – and entirely deservedly at that stage – Miners only succumbed in the final ten minutes when two Barrow tries gave the scoreline a gloss neither side deserved. However the Leigh side can take tremendous heart from giving their illustrious opponents an almighty scare in a game where few would have given them much of a chance before kick-off.
Miners were without Martin Lewis or Shaun McDonald for this game, with Adam Thomason and Steven Marsh dropping into the centres from second-row and stand-off respectively. Kevin Howells returned at prop. Barrow, third bottom of the Championship but having won on Easter Monday against York to kick-start their campaign, fielded three Twist Lane graduates in Matt Haggerty, Adam Clay and Anthony Nicholson.
It was a cloudy but mild spring afternoon on the Furness peninsula and Barrow had the early opportunity as Miners knocked-on in the first set of the game and the lively centre Max Wiper almost broke through but his pass outside to Clay was behind the winger and into touch. Having survived that scare Miners began to exert their own pressure and the handling errors began to flow freely from Barrow, Tom Farrimond with a break up the middle and Scott O’Brien kicking to the left wing but the ball bouncing into touch away from the oncoming Sean Pendlebury. The opening try wasn’t long in coming though as eight minutes in Miners struck, Barrow coughing up possession inside their ten metre zone and Miners keeping their composure to ship the ball right for Andrew Groves to sneak in for his first try for the club. Stung, the Raiders mounted a response and aided by a succession of penalties they camped in Miners’ half for much of the first quarter, Dan Toal held up over the line in what proved Lee Gittins’ last action of the match, the in-form second-row hobbling off and joined on the injury list by fellow back-row Ross Bradley not long after as Miners had to reshuffle and battle on with only fifteen available bodies. The home side continued to press and Groves had to show the defensive side of his game to wrap up Mike Backhouse as the fullback linked into the attack. Finally the pressure told on the twenty minute mark as stand-off Liam Finch created the gap and stepped his way through to stretch out of the tackle and score under the posts, Kurt Haggerty goaling. If Barrow thought that would dampen Miners’ resolve they were given a rude awakening as the Leigh side bossed the remainder of the half. Miners launched an immediate response as Barrow – not for the last time – spilled the restart but Jonny Youds’ offload to Danny Jackson was a difficult one to take and the ball went to ground near the line. Youds and O’Brien were enjoying fine games and the pair made deep inroads into the Barrow half, O’Brien’s chip knocked back by a Barrow hand for Miners to gain a repeat set and when Howells was stung by a high tackle as he surged to the line Miners opted for goal and Youds’ penalty tied matters up. On the half hour came the try which would give Miners the interval lead. Initially the chance appeared to have gone as Thomason sent Groves sprinting clear down the touchline from half way, but the winger was clipped by the despairing cover tackle and as he lost his momentum he passed inside to Jonny Carroll, who was wrapped up just short. From the play the ball though Miners were in, O’Brien grubbering through and as Toal stepped on the ball it popped back up for the Miners’ captain to follow up and touch down, Youds goaling for 12-6. Indeed the lead could have been more commanding – dare I say it decisive – as Miners continued to create chances up to the half-time hooter, first when O’Brien’s forty-twenty set an attacking platform but Darryl Kay’s offload to Todd Appleby went to ground, then O’Brien just missing with a field goal attempt.
Miners would have expected a response from Barrow but the second half opened with both sides creating chances, Liam Coleman intercepting inside his half and streaking away downfield before being halted, then Youds and O’Brien asking questions again before Thomason placed the kick into the in-goal which just evaded Groves. Barrow were back on level terms though when a Finch bomb was allowed to bounce and it fell kindly into the hands of James Dandy to score the easiest of tries, Kurt Haggerty goaling to tie things up. That was the way it stayed as both sides battled for the edge until just before the hour mark, a barnstorming run up the middle by Liam Harrison setting the position and Nicholson flighting the ball left for Sean Casey to score, the conversion giving Barrow a six point lead. It was still up for grabs and Miners weren’t for throwing the towel in, O’Brien kicking through but the ball running away from Darryl Kay and mopped up by Kurt Haggerty on his own line. With ten minutes to go came the clincher, Finch with the clever pass and Jack Spencer over the line for 22-12. Still Miners asked questions, the outstanding O’Brien placing a deft kick along the Barrow line and the ball bobbling everywhere before a bewitched defender picked it up in an offside position but Miners couldn’t capitalise and instead Barrow finished with a fifth try to give the scoreline a tough complexion, Toal weaving through from twenty metres out in the last minutes to make the final score 28-12.
Barrow – Mike Backhouse, Dean McGilvray, Max Wiper, Aaron Low, Adam Clay, Liam Finch, Sean Casey, Brad Brennan, Anthony Nicholson, Ruairi McGoff, Liam Harrison, Kurt Haggerty, Dan Toal Subs – James Dandy, Matt Haggerty, Jack Spencer, Mike Whitehead
Tries – Finch (20), Dandy (48), Casey (58), Spencer (69), Toal (79)
Goals – K Haggerty 4
MoM – Liam Harrison
Miners – Jonny Youds, Andrew Groves, Adam Thomason, Steven Marsh, Sean Pendlebury, Liam Coleman, Scott O’Brien, Kevin Howells, Tom Farrimond, Darryl Kay, Lee Gittins, Ross Bradley, Danny Jackson Subs – Jimmy Muir, Danny Jones, Todd Appleby, Jonny Carroll
Tries – Groves (8), O’Brien (29)
Goals – Youds 2
MoM – Scott O’Brien
Referee – Chris Kendall
Pictures thanks to Bill Watkinson at Barrow RLFC
