Cumbria’s three Championship sides all safely made the fifth round of the Challenge Cup with solid victories.
Whitehaven were impressive 60-0 winners at League One Doncaster while Barrow Raiders were also visitors to Leaguer One Rochdale Hornets and came hom with a 38-12 victory.
Probably the most significant win was at Derwent Park where Workington Town had fellow Championship opposition in Dewsbury Rams and saw them off 26-12.
Without a win so far in three Championship games this success will give Town a boost as the Rams are expected to be among the teams battling to avoid the relegation zone.
There might be a chance to assess the Rams prospects even more next week when they are due to visit Whitehaven in a Championship fixture.
Town had led 20-6 at half-time following a very impressive first-half in which they scored after only eight minutes. The Rams couldn’t deal with a kick through and Alex Clegg got in for the touchdown. Jamie Doran added the conversion.
Six minutes later Town were over again when Dec O’Donnell was put in to score under the posts and again Doran converted.
Back came Dewsbury and Aaron Hall scored a try which was converted by Mattie Beharrall on 22 minutes but within six minutes Doran popped over a penalty for Town.
Eight minutes before the interval Perry Singleton charged over and Doran’s conversion made it 20-6 when the players left the field for the break. The Rams actually finished the half with 12 men as Robson Stevens had been yellow carded after 35 minutes.
Although they were against the wind in the second half Town made a great start with a try in the 47th minute from Caine Barnes, converted by Doran.
Ten minutes later Barnes was given ten minutes in the bin following his yellow card.
During his absence the Rams raised their hopes when Beharrell followed up his own deflected kick to get the touchdown and he also added the conversion.
As they had in the first-half Dewsbury finished the game with 12 men after Jordan Schofield was sin-binned but really they could not make anything of a tough Workington defence.
Whitehaven have taken time to find their best form and it took an outstanding second-half at Doncaster, in which they scored 48 unanswered points, to really set the pulses racing.
The clean sheet will have pleased coach Jonty Gorley as much as the 11 tries they scored but it was really in the second half when they produced their best rugby of the season so far only leading 12 -0 at half-time.
In the end it was convincing and of the tries six were converted by Jake Moore and two by Alex Bishop with only three attempts missed.
Chris Taylor and Tom Walker scored the tries in the first-half while after the change round there were touchdowns for Dave Eccleston (2), Liam Cooper, Nikau Williams (2), Josh Martin, Callum Phillips, Tom Wilkinson and Geronimo Doyle.
At Rochdale the Barrow Raiders were 16-6 ahead at the break after the Hornets had scored a try by Joe Taira four minutes before the break, converted by Lewis Sheridan.
The Raiders went in front on five minutes with a try from Tom Hopkins which was converted by Ryan Shaw, but then Rochdale didn’t help their cause by having two men sent to the sin bin at different stages of the first-half.
Barrow improved their position on 20 minutes with a try from Anton Iaria after good work from Carl Forster again converted by Shaw.
The third try came on 24 minutes from Shane Toal, scored in the corner so it went unconverted before the Hornets pulled back sic points on 35 minutes.
Tee Ritson produced the first fireworks of the second-half when he went 80 metres for the fourth try which Shaw improved.
Then on 56 minutes Ritson got away for his second, this time going 40 metres tpo complete the job. Shaw converted for a 28-6 lead.
Just short of the hour Toal got his second and after Rochdale had scored again through Callum Marriott, converted by Sheridan, Barrow had the final word with Toal completing his hat-trick and Shaw converting.
