Barber sets Halifax on way to win over depleted Workington

Halifax brought the curtain down on the round robin phase of the Championship Shield with an unspectacular and at times unconvincing 46-26 win over relegated Workington at the Shay.
Halifax's Gareth Moore.Halifax's Gareth Moore.
Halifax's Gareth Moore.

Workington arrived in Yorkshire with a barely believable 14 players, raising the question of whether or not the game should have been allowed to go ahead in the first place.

Halifax opened the scoring on 11 minutes, Ed Barber skipping through on the right after a short ball from Gareth Moore, who converted for a 6-0 lead.

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Town’s reply was almost immediate after their hosts lost the kick off, Theerapol Ritson touching down a Jarrod Sammut kick in the left corner.

Sammut missed the conversion, and Halifax stretched their lead with a long-range raid finished by winger Will Sharp, Moore’s kick drifting wide for a 10-4 scoreline.

The Cumbrians got some reward for their energy and flair when Jason Mossop touched down, Sammut converting and then adding a penalty as Workington edged 12-10 ahead.

But Halifax grabbed back-to-back tries from Elliot Morris and James Woodburn-Hall, Moore converting both for a 22-12.

Woodburn-Hall grabbed a second, Moore converting.

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Town closed to 28-18 when Jamie Doran scored from Sammut’s short kick, Sammut adding the conversion, then found themselves within a score at 28-22 when Matty Gee touched down for an unconverted try.

Halifax’s numerical strength told though, with Mitch Cahalane and Luke Ambler adding last quarter touchdowns, Moore converting both.

Moore then rounded things off with a try of his own, which he also converted, before Declan Hulme’s score gave Town the last word.

Halifax: Johnston; Greenwood, Woodburn-Hall, Rawsthorne, Sharp; Robinson, G. Moore; Cahalane, Kaye, Ambler, Barber, Bennion, Fairbank. Substitutes: B. Moore, Morris, Boyle, Nelmes.

Workington: Murphy; Hulme, Gee, Mossop, Ritson; Forber, Sammut; Walker, Doran, Gordon, Shackley, McAvoy, Scholey. Substitute: Verlinden

Referee: T Grant (RFL).

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