BARROW RAIDERS 14, WORKINGTON TOWN 4

Referee Andy Sweet abandoned the game on 53 minutes due to a lights failure with Barrow holding a 10-point lead.

It was a dour affair with neither team dominating, but all credit to League One opposition Workington who battled away through the 53 minutes.

Barrow never had it all their own way, but it was they who looked the sharpest in the opening stages, with Shane Toal a constant threat on the right wing.

Town took the game to their hosts and from a tap penalty failed to make progress when Malik Steele lost the ball on the first tackle. Toal was a constant threat as Barrow put several raids together with Luke Creswell and Ryan Shaw heavily involved.

It was 20 minutes on the clock before the first points came. Several players combined for Toal to race in at the corner, Shaw failing to convert 4-0.

Another Town raid came to a halt when Joe Kirkup lost the ball close to the home line. Barrow then moved swiftly upfield and neat play from Johnston and Creswell sent Shaw racing in at the corner, Shaw’s touchline conversion making it 10-0 on 25 minutes.

Town came more into the action as Tom Curwen and Steele took play deep into Barrow territory only for J. J. Key to drop the ball.

And when substitute Blain Marwood sent a neat inside ball to Liam McNicholas, he, like others, lost possession.

Marwood was as lively as ever, and his neat chip to the corner forced Brett Carter to push the ball dead. Town were rewarded with a four-pointer when quick hands along the line enabled Earl Hurst to send Sean Sabutey in at the corner for an unconverted try.

Local boy Jack Stephenson, in Town’s colours, was denied a try when he was held up as the half came to a close.

Both teams threw players on and off as they do in these pre-season games, and it was the home side who were to stretch their lead on 50 minutes when neat play saw former Whitehaven winger Andrew Bulman in at the corner for an unconverted try,

14-4. Three minutes later the floodlights failed and – though Mr Sweet bided his time in hope of the repair job being successful – in consultation with coaches Paul Crarey and Town’s Anthony Murray, decided to abandon the game. We will never know what the outcome would have been as Barrow now look ahead to Saturday when Super-League Wigan come to Craven Park.

Barrow: Creswell, Bulman, Worthington, Shaw, S Toal, J Carter, Johnston, Brooks, Wood, Gillam, Langtree, Stack,Wells. Subs used: Archer, Evans, Emslie, Mossop, Corkill, B Carter, Hopkins, Broadbent, Dawson, Jack Crarey, Saunders.

Workington: Simpson, Sabutey, Hurst, Bickerdike, Max- Anderson-Moore, Forber, Walker, Thomson, Henson, Scholey, Barnes, Steele, Curwen. Subs used: Marwood, Kirkup, J.J.Key, McNicholas, Stephenson, Burns, Riley, Charlton.

Attendance: 1,280.