 |
|
|
Action pictures can be purchased from photographer Mike McKenzie
|
Haven having beaten Batley at Mount Pleasant a week ago in the Challenge Cup, Haven lived up to expectations early on, taking the lead on seven minutes after a brilliant move on the right hand side.  John
Duffy shipped the ball out to Rob Jackson and the centre drew
his man and released Derrie Eilbeck outside him. It was as Mike
Wainwright bundled the former Brow player into touch he cleverly
threw the ball back inside to Jackson, who gathered the pass
and raced away to score under the posts. Carl Rudd added.Batley had seldom threatened the Haven line when out of nowhere the Bulldogs got level. Mark Toohey gave a defence splitting pass to Craig Lingard joining the line from full-back. Lingard was too strong for his opposite number, Steve Maden, and pushed him off to touch down close to the sticks. Steve Jones converted and then, on 21 minutes, a penalty to put the visitors in front. That sparked them into life and as Haven seemed to struggle to control the ball the Bulldogs grew in confidence. Whitehaven were still struggling to complete sets, which was keeping the pressure off the Bulldogs. However, they did manage keep hold of the ball long enough for Craig Chambers to give them back the lead on 32 minutes. John Duffy crafted open a gap for the bustling second row, who was unstoppable form five yards out. Rudd missed the kick. Haven could have had another try before the break but it was disallowed after Maden and Sean Richardson clashed and referee Peter Taberner rightly brought play back, denying Haven a try that their play had deserved. It was 10-8 at the interval. Whitehaven got it through Chambers again, powering over the whitewash on 46 minutes. However Carl Rudd was having a bad day with the boot and he missed the kick-able conversion to leave Batley within a converted try. Jones missed a penalty for the Bulldogs and then Rudd did likewise for Haven before finally kicking one to stretch the lead a little further. In the meantime John Duffy was sent to the sin bin for dissent The game was getting scrappy, and no player likes a scrap as much as Marc Jackson. Forced into an extended stay by an injury to Neil Baynes, Jacko was in the thick of everything with some massive tackling and barnstorming runs up the field. He has always been a rugged defender, and a tough, deceptively quick ball carrier, but under Dave Rotheram Jackson seems to have developed an eye for an off-load, something that will make him one of the best prop forwards in the competition. Batley had Ian Marsh sent off for a shocking high tackle on Mark Deans on 67 minutes. Deans made a big impact when he was introduced, but not as big as the one that Carl Sice did. The hooker returned to the action after being given a spell off the field and announced his arrival with a try on 72 minutes. It was vintage Sice, flashing a dummy before scurrying over from acting half-back. Rudd added the extras. Having shown what he could do from five metres there was just about time for him to show what he could do from. Sice made a sensational break up the middle of the park, deep in his own half. As he galloped up to half way he had little by the way of support and so attempted to outstrip Lingard. The Bulldogs full-back had enough pace to catch Sice with fully 30 metres to go to the line, but he hadn't reckoned with a powerful hand-off and as he went sprawling to the floor the Haven hooker was able to streak away and score in front of a delighted Kells End. Rudd again missed the conversion to leave the final score at Haven 26-8 Batley
Haven, Steve Maden, Derrie Eilbeck, David Seeds, Rob Jackson, Craig Calvert, Leroy Joe, John Duffy, Neil Baynes, Carl Sice, Steve Trindall, Scott McAvoy, Howard Hill, Carl Rudd. Subs (all used) Mark Deans, Craig Chambers, Marc Jackson, Greame Mattinson. Cup away to Batley April 2 2006
At Mount not so Pleasant Haven tries from Seeds (2), Rob Jackson, Eilbeck, Sice, Rudd (2) |
|
