Barrow were deserving 18-4 winners of the first Betfred Championship Cumbrian derby of the season at Whitehaven.
In atrocious conditions it was very much a battle and Barrow mastered the elements best, scoring three first-half tries which eventually settled the contest.
They kept a disappointing Whitehaven at bay in the first half and restricted them to a single, unconverted try late in the game.
Barrow couldn’t have asked for a better start as a little chip through from Ryan Johnston was pursued by Dan Toal and he got there first for the try which Ryan Slow slotted over.
The Raiders continued to see plenty of the ball and on 15 minutes Whitehaven were reduced to 12 men when Guy Graham was sin-binned for a late shot on former Haven player coach Carl Forster. From the resultant penalty Shaw was successful.
Still a man short Haven were breached again on 19 minutes. Their former forward Ellis Gillam made a big break down the middle and when the ball was worked wide it was Shaw who went in at the corner for an unconverted try.
Barrow certainly made their extra man pay and on 23 minutes scored their third try. Tee Ritson broke away down the right before sending Hakim Miloudi on for the touchdown which Shaw improved.
Cumbrian weather shows no mercy! pic.twitter.com/8nDusODdJx
— Barrow Raiders (@BarrowRaiders) February 6, 2022
It had been a disastrous ten minutes for Haven while a man short, and then right on the hooter Barrow’s Jarrad Stack was yellow-carded.
Haven had clearly targeted the first 10 minutes of the second half to get back into the contest but they were unable to make significant inroads and when Stack returned on 50 minutes his side still led 18-0.
The hosts, however, did get on the score-sheet after 59 minutes when Barrow were caught short out wide and Connor Holliday made the line but the conversion was well wide.
Raiders weathered the subsequent storm (from the skies and Haven) and had a try disallowed for offside while the nearest the home side came to a score came when Will Evans was held over the line.
Barrow were recording a second Championship win, while Whitehaven are still looking for the initial points.
