Published at 11:12, Thursday, 07 June 2012

WHILE 2012 could be right royal vintage for all our Cumbrian clubs, I won’t be putting one of my best bottles on it just yet.

All’s well so far with Barrow (top), Workington Town (third) and Whitehaven (fourth) on course for three of the four passports into the Championship proper.

Town – who could still prove to be Cumbria’s top dogs – showed their bite in an excellent weekend win at Rochdale and in doing so did great service to the old enemy.

Whitehaven actually began the season as bookies’ championship-winning favourites. Who’d bet on that any more?

Smart title-winning money will be going on Town, Barrow or The Dons, certainly to finish among the top three. Not that Haven’s Aussie boss would describe it as “a good call” – Don Gailer almost swallowed on his glass (lager of course) during Whitehaven Festival when I put the notion to him!

“You may think so,” he bridled ,“but there’s a long way to go yet.”

The Don still harbours thoughts of Haven lifting the Championship One trophy (not secretly either) and if that fails he definitely fancies his chances of finishing in the top three. Maybe so, Don, but no more slips ups.

Town, winning at Rochdale, have done you a favour, even denying Hornets a bonus point, thanks in no small way to former Haven scrum half Marc Bainbridge who may think he owes Haven no favours. However, young Marc’s move to Derwent Park is paying dividends and the lad now stands to get even better in a half-back partnership with ex-Super Leaguer Peter Lupton.

Seemingly Oldham and Rochdale stand in the way of Haven securing one of the precious promotion places. With Oldham arriving at The Recre on July 1 there’s every chance of Whitehaven pulling off an invaluable double. First up there’s a little matter of settling a score or two with the old enemy at Derwent Park in the next away game (June 24).

Just now I’d say Town’s glass is more than half-full, Haven’s perhaps more half empty but hopefully will fill up fast.

Now what could accelerate the process is revenge against Town in the return derby. Meanwhile, Sunday’s return to action against the Scorpions should be a certain home top-up provided, of course, the players who failed against Barrow get their heads right in training.

Nice to see Jamie Rooney, playmaker charged with steering Haven’s ship into calmer waters, getting the stand off spot in the Co-operative Championship One team of the month; his arrival certainly hasn’t put Carl Rudd’s nose out of joint, for Carl’s switch to loose forward also gets him in the loose forward place! Also Dave Houghton, now showing some real force up front, taking the blind-side spot slot.

Town inspiration Jamie Thackray would be one of the first names on the sheet, Elliott Miller and Jarrad Stack are also in from Workington. All told Cumbrian clubs provide nine of the 13 in the all-star line up - which seems to tell a tale.

On the subject of Workington, I’m pleased to see the name of Ian Wright going into the club’s Hall of Fame.

He is one of my own personal favourites.

Picking from all the players I’ve seen (or can remember) my best-ever combined Whitehaven-Workington Town would have Wright in the centres alongside Eppie Gibson – apologies to the likes of Seedsey and Vince.

Ian Wright, like a few Town greats of previous vintage, was a tremendous cross-codes switch, he ran like a stag and lit up Derwent Park in the dark days of winter rugby and reached his zenith in the 1977 Lancashire Cup final triumph over Wigan in which he scored his side’s opening try.

With a Town tally of 168 tries, Ian ranks only second to the peerless Ike Southward and was on course for full Great Britain honours until injury stopped him in his tracks.

And just for the sake of argument, here is my Haven/Town dream team designed to succeed in any era playing any type of rugby league: Paul Charlton; Ike Southward, Eppie Gibson, Ian Wright, Syd Lowdon or Piet Pretorius; Harry Archer, Sol Roper; Norman Herbert, Aaron Lester, John Tembey, Dick Huddart, Brian Edgar, Bill Holliday.

But when I think of Phil Kitchin, “Boxer” Walker, Les and Peter Gorley, Dave Watson, Les Moore, Billy Ivison, big Bill Martin, James Pickering, Eddie Bowman and Bill McAlone, and quite a few more, I could change my mind at any moment. Mind you five members of my chosen starting pack are Great Britain Test forwards - a vintage crop on which I’d put money on battering all-comers, current Super League or NRL sides included!

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk