WHERE: Craven Park, Barrow

WHEN: January 1994.

“BEING a pessimist, I took a calculator to Craven Park yesterday, but never for a moment dreamed it would be used to compute a flurry of Barrow points.”

Those were the words The Mail’s then-Barrow Rugby League correspondent Frank Cassidy opened his match report with after a Challenge Cup tie against Bradford Northern on January 30 25 years ago which had the scoreboard spinning.

The fact Northern, then fighting it out with all-conquering Wigan at the top of the RFL Championship, overcame the Braves – the nickname Barrow adopted pre-merger with Carlisle Border Raiders – in this fourth-round tie was not a surprise.

What was a surprise, however, was the fact the hosts, then languishing mid-table in the reformed Second Division a year after avoiding being one of the three teams cut from the professional game on points difference, were able to run up 30 points against the Yorkshiremen.

It was the first time in over three months any side had racked up such a tally against Bradford, whose side included eight full internationals, and18 of those were scored inside an incredible six-minute spell.

Of course, Bradford already had the game sewn up by that point, running out 58-30 winners. However, the 88-point total was also notable as being the second-highest-scoring game either team had been involved in.

Barrow had beaten amateurs East Leeds 34-10 at home in round three of the 1993/94 Challenge Cup to earn a place in the draw with the Championship teams for the last 32.

They could hardly have asked for a much bigger tie, but the teams had already clashed earlier in the season in the Regal Trophy when a youthful Bradford team won 28-8. Northern coach Peter Fox took no chances on this occasion, however, sending what he described as just about the strongest team he could put out.

No doubt with Fox’s words about having the match sewn up by half time ringing in their ears, Bradford made a flying start to the contest as stand-off Neil Summer went over for the opening try after just two minutes and was quickly followed by New Zealander Darrall Shelford.

The two Pauls, Dixon and Newlove, were next over and the conversion of the latter by Great Britain international Deryck Fox put the visitors 16-0 up. However, Barrow hit back when Phil Atkinson sent Chris Honey over for a try converted by Bluey Kavanagh.

Newlove, who had joined Northern in a £245,000-deal from Featherstone Rovers in 1993, got his second soon after and Fox joined in too, only for Phil Everett to gather a kick from Honey and score a converted try out wide for Barrow.

Paul Medley’s converted score made it 32-12 to Bradford at half time, followed by Dixon, Fox, David Heron and two more from Newlove putting the outcome beyond doubt when play resumed.

Barrow threw caution to the wind though, with Anthony Singleton, Stewart Rhodes and Bob Eccles all crossing for a flurry of late scores before Heron had the final say with a late converted try for Northern.

Bradford would go on to beat Barrow’s Cumbrian rivals Workington Town 32-0 in round five, but bowed out to eventual runners-up Leeds in the quarter-finals.

Barrow Braves: Shaun Dolan; Steve Neale, Steve Ashcroft, Chris Honey, Phil Everett; Phil Atkinson, Bluey Kavanagh; Bob Eccles, Stuart Howarth, Peers Bent, Sam Hansen, Stewart Rhodes, Anthony Singleton. Substitutes: Wayne Jackson, Marc Coulson.

Bradford Northern: Richard Darkes; Daio Powell, Darrall Shelford, Paul Newlove, Brimah Kebbie; Neil Summer, Deryck Fox; Paul Grayshon, Trevor Clark, Jon Hamer, Paul Medley, Paul Dixon, Karl Fairbank. Substitutes: David Heron, Roy Powell.