Tries, hits and tear-ups

Oldham’s Jack Holmes dives for the line with two Barrow players for company.

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BARROW RAIDERS 30, OLDHAM 18

A CRACKING game of tough, fiercely unrelenting rugby ended with a touchline brawl in the dying seconds and red cards for Oldham hooker Gareth Owen and Barrow half-back Liam Campbell.

On a Craven Park night dominated by big men with brave hearts, it was two of this evenly-matched contest’s smallest, if feistiest competitors, who were sent off by referee Chris Campbell for fighting.

He decided Owen and Campbell started the brawl that will now be considered by the sport’s match review panel.

Clearly in anguish, Owen left for his early shower after producing his best performance of the season, leading the charge and rallying his forwards.

It was a shame it had to end like that because it wasn’t a dirty game; more a clash of two teams who refused to yield an inch. They met fire with fire in a scrap that finally swung Barrow’s way eight minutes from the end.

Backed by 900 vociferous fans, Barrow were hell bent on becoming the first side to inflict a league defeat on Scott Naylor's table-toppers to avenge their 32-10 iPro Sport Cup quarter-final defeat by the Roughyeds in March.

Oldham were equally fired up to keep their unbeaten run going - with the result there was never more than a try in it until eight minutes from the end when, with Barrow 18-12 ahead, Raiders centre Andy Litherland was awarded a try under the posts.

He and Oldham full-back Steve Nield rose high and challenged to collect a kick. Neither succeeded. The ball rebounded and shot away to the Oldham line, where Litherland was awarded the touchdown.

On such 50-50 rulings tight games are won and lost and if that wasn’t entirely the case here, there is absolutely no doubt Litherland’s 72nd minute try, pushing the home side into a 24-12 lead, was a defining moment on a night when the score failed to mirror Oldham’s contribution.

They didn’t help themselves by conceding nine penalties — five in the first half and the other four in the later stages when Barrow was finally able to build up a head of steam.

In two revealing incidents that led to Kyle Dolan’s try for Barrow on the stroke of half-time, Steve Roper had a clearing kick charged down and Lewis Palfrey put one out on the full, both of them under attack from marauding defenders.

Two-try Cameron Pitman, the Barrow centre, caught Josh Ward’s crosskick in full flight to score the try that gave Raiders an 8-4 lead midway through the first half. However dubious it was, Litherland’s late try was the direct result of a different type of kick — a teasing up-and-under; then the home side’s final try came from a Roper chip-kick that also went wrong and was pounced on by Liam Harrison.

One way or the other Oldham looked vulnerable defending kicks. Adam Clay’s second try to make it 8-8 after 25 minutes, came from Palfrey’s cross-kick, but in the main Roughyeds were undone by their inability to match up in the kicking department.

In taking Oldham’s first tackle of the game, Jack Holmes was laid out and had to be helped off the pitch for running repairs.

Oldham applied severe pressure, but conceded two penalties — one on the last tackle — to give Raiders a peep of the Roughyeds try line.

It ended with a Pitman try out wide, but Oldham were soon level when Owen’s wide ball gave Clay room up the touchline. Accelerating away, he then cleverly turned inside the full-back to score a fabulous winger’s try in the corner.

Clay was to score again in the same spot from Palfrey’s kick and both times the latter’s conversion attempts hit the far upright and bounced out.

At 8-4 down, Oldham was given a leg-up when Nield’s restart kick found touch. From the scrum, Oldham turned the screw with Clay scoring his second try wide out to restore parity.

George Tyson’s defence-scattering break should then have given Oldham the lead, but his final pass to Roper went astray.

Barrow replied immediately through Dolan to lead 12-8 at half-time, but the visitors capitalised on two early second-half penalties to level up again with a Holmes try.

Soon after that, the balance of power swung back to Barrow, who went 16-12 in front with a try by Campbell.

A high tackle gave Barrow the chance to build an 18-12 lead with a Josh Ward penalty, after which came the disputed try by Litherland.

With Owen leading the way, pushing and prodding his forwards from dummy half and around the ruck, he called for one big effort and got the right response.

The pack set up position close to the Barrow line and, showing exemplary resilience and determination, Owen somehow found a way through a tight defence to score the try that was to set up a rousing finale — and a fighting finish.