Barrow 26 Halifax 12: Halifax’s title hopes shattered by Barrow

HALIFAX fell to a second defeat in five days as their packed Championship schedule caught up with them at Barrow.

The home side staged a fine second-half comeback at Craven Park, scoring three tries without reply after the interval to take the points and boost their hopes of league survival.

In doing so, they denied Fax even a bonus point and put a dent in their title hopes with just four weeks of the regular season remaining.

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The visitors were first on the scoresheet after an even opening spell in South Cumbria, with Scott Murrell sending Ross Divorty past home full-back Ben Hellewell and over the line.

But Barrow soon responded as Dean McGilvray went in at the corner, cutting the gap to 6-4.

Halifax led for a second time when, after Wayne Reittie was held up by superb defence, Murrell slipped a tackle near the posts and coasted over. Ben Hellewell hit back for Raiders as he took a pass from Liam Harrison and ended the first-half scoring by making it 12-8.

After the even first 40 minutes, Barrow held off some resistance at the start of the second period and then built themselves an unassailable lead.

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First, Harrison collected a Liam Campbell grubber kick to put them ahead, then Hellewell scored his second after a Nathan Mossop break.

With Fax pushing for a score late in proceedings to force a tense finish, Campbell extinguished their hopes and denied them a bonus point with a try from a scrum 10 metres out.

Barrow: Hellewell, Low, McGilvray, Wiper, Clay, Finch, Campbell, Whitehead, Mossop, Spencer, Harrison, K. Haggerty, Jones. Substitutes: Brennan, Nicholson, Toal, Dawson.

Halifax: Paterson, Worrincy, Tyrer, Heaton, Reittie, Murrell, Bowman, Tonks, C. Ashall, Robinson, Manning, Divorty, Adamson. Substitutes: Handforth, Ambler, Bracek, B. Davies.

Referee: W Turley (RFL).

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