HThompson

Published at 00:00, Thursday, 04 January 2007

By Martin Morgan

LEROY Joe stepped up to the plate yet again for Haven as they lifted the inaugural Ike Southward Memorial Trophy.

The stand-off cannot have had a stint in the front-row on his mind when named on the bench for Friday’s clash.

But he responded superbly after injuries to props saw him drafted in to the front-row in the second-half.

This came after he had created his team’s opening try for the impressive Carl Sice with a trademark, pinpoint kick.

And he later went on to pull off a crucial interception with the try-line beckoning for Town.

The visitors belied their second division status with a strong performance, and there was little between the teams throughout. But nothing can be read into it as both are months away from peaking.

In truth, it was a pretty poor spectacle, the weather saw to that, despite valiant efforts from both teams.

With rain lashing down throughout, and the Recre pitch heavy, both struggled to make their mark.

Give me a sunny, summer day, when players are able to display their array of skills, over this type of mudfest any day.

Town created at least as many clean breaks as the NL1 side. But Haven’s defence proved as strong as in the latter stages of last season’s league campaign.

The NL2 outfit started the first-half strongly, Carl Forber looking to exploit a two-man overlap with an angled kick through, but he put too much pace on the ball and it ran dead.

The visitors took the lead on 15 minutes, Craig Walsh powering over in atrocious visibility, Shaun Lunt adding the extras.

Most of the action was played out around the middle of the park, and it took Haven 26 minutes to mount a serious attack.

Joe’s chip kick was knocked dead, but the hosts regained possession, and after Alan McGuiness was sin-binned for interference, Sice latched on to Joe’s teasing kick to score. Carl Rudd’s conversion levelled matters at 6-apiece.

Haven scrum-half John Duffy started to find his range in the closing stages of the half with a couple of dangerous, attacking kicks, but Town defused the danger.

Workington started the second-half as they had the first, on the attack, and Haven, who had named young Danny Barker in their squad in place of flu-hit Spencer Miller, were forced to drop-out on three consecutive sets.

On the third of these, they were caught offside, but rather than take the two points on offer from in front of the sticks, Town ran the ball, and missed out.

Haven’s best chance early in the second-half came courtesy of Steve Maden. The winger stepped inside three attempted tackles before being shackled five metres out, and the chance was lost when Sice’s long, ambitious pass was intercepted.

It was not a night for win-gers to score long-distance tries, the weather saw to that, but Craig Calvert notched his customary try for Haven on 55 minutes, Rudd adding a touchline conversion.

The busy Liam Campbell then engineered a great break down the middle as Town sought to hit back, but Joe was on hand to intercept and save his team.

Hooker Shaun Lunt was working hard for Town, their cause was not helped however when Jamie Beaumont was yellow-carded for foul play in a tackle.

And Carl Rudd wrapped up a home win with a late try, again goaled by himself.

Haven: Broadbent, Calvert, Eilbeck, R Jackson, Maden, Rudd, Duffy, Baynes, Mattinson, Fatialofa, McAvoy, Wright, Lester. Subs: Lebbon, Sice, Joe, Teare, Hill, Shaw, Barker.

Town: Frazer, Armstrong, Dawes, R Lunt, Wilson, Forber, L Campbell, Vaughan, Lunt, Cox, Purdham, Beaumont, Walsh. Subs: Kirkbride, McGuinness, Roper, Lavulavu, Burgess, R Campbell, Miller.

Attendance: 1,964.

Referee: Gareth Hewer (Whitehaven).

Star Man: Leroy Joe.

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