Whitehaven 10 Halifax 28: Royston puts Halifax on road to victory

Matt Calland's side have now won three straight league matches and were never in danger of defeat on the Cumbrian coast once Shad Royston had given them an early lead.

The Australian rounded off slick build up play from Ben Black and Sean Penkywicz, with Lee Paterson kicking the visitors 6-0 ahead after nine minutes.

They doubled their advantage when scorer turned provider, Royston ripped the defence to shreds before sending Black over, Paterson converting.

Whitehaven pulled a score back just past the half hour when Chris Smith finished off a rare line break by the home side.

Carl Rudd added the goal, but when Whitehaven fumbled the kick off, Royston pounced on a Luke Branighan grubber kick to score and Paterson kicked the Yorkshiremen into an 18-6 half- time lead.

Halifax put the game beyond Whitehaven's reach 14 minutes after the break, Penkywicz setting up the French prop Said Tamghart with a neat short pass and Paterson's conversion pushing the lead out to 24-6.

Black then scored a long range second after a great piece of improvisation from Paterson, before Rudd's late score gave the home team some late consolation.

Whitehaven: Veivers; Eilbeck, Darby, R. Jackson, Calvert; Rudd, Skee; Thornley, Mattinson, Amor, Gorski, Barker, Joe. Substitutes: Smith, Hill, Jackson, Philip

Halifax: Royston; White, Paterson, Nash, Worrincy; Branighan, Black; Tamghart, Penkywicz, Maloney, Bannister, Wrench, Bowman. Substitutes: Aizue, Beswick, Watene, Ostick

Referee: R Laughton (Barnsley).