Rally from Rams is not enough at Whitehaven

It was the home side who opened the scoring, Tom Carr going through untouched after 11 minutes. A second try followed from Shaun Ainscough.

Cain Southernwood converted both tries to give the Cumbrians a 12-point cushion.

Two tries in three minutes, however, brought the visitors back into the game. The first came from Anthiony Thackeray, before Shane Grady also went over, with Kieran Hyde converting both.

That’s how it stayed until just before the break when Craig Calvert crossed for the first time to hand the initiative back to the hosts. The match kicked into life in the second half after Dewsbury scored through Karl Pryce to make it 16-18.

For the next five minutes the visitors battered the home side’s line after a 40/20 from Thackeray, but the hosts survived and enjoyed a purple with three tries in five minutes from Calvert, Carr and Ainscough.

The Rams hit back again, though, with 20 minutes left on the clock through Sam Wood and Hyde’s conversion brought the Rams back to within 10 points.

But with 10 minutes to go the lead was extended again as Calvert completed his hat-trick.

Again, Dewsbury responded scoring in the 72nd and 77th minutes through Scott Hale and Tommy Gallagher, but that was as close as they got.

Whitehaven: Carr, Ainscough, Taylor, Parker, Calvert, Seymour, Southernwood, Foster, Newton, Jackson, McAvoy, Mitchell, Doran. Substitutes: Thorman, Grayson, Hand, Robinson.

Dewsbury Rams: Sheriff, Morton, Beckett, Pryce, Wood, Hyde, Thackeray, Dowes, Hemingway, Aizue, Grady, Hale, Murphy. Substitutes: Hepworth, Wright, Gallagher, Nash.

Referee: G Stokes (RFL).