There was good news for both Whitehaven and Barrow in last night’s Championship matches.
Keighley lost 38-10 at Sheffield to stay firmly in the mix with the two Cumbrian sides as they all battle to avoid the drop.
Newcastle’s 56-22 home defeat by Featherstone confirmed their relegation, one which has not been in much doubt for weeks. It also gives coach Chris Thorman the unwelcome tag of over-seeing two successive relegations with Workington and Newcastle.
In actual fact the Keighley defeat by 28 points allowed Whitehaven to move ahead of the Cougars on points differential.
Now Jonty Gorley’s men need to back that up with a win at Batley tomorrow where they have picked up some excellent results in recent seasons.
The good news for Haven is that long-term absentee Callum Phillips, who suffered a very serious knee injury last season, is back in the squad and looking to make a contribution over the three final games.
If Phillips plays it will be his first Haven appearance for 498 days.
The squad is: Dave Eccleston, Chris Taylor, Curtis Teare, Karl Dixon, Callum Phillips, Connor Holliday, Lachlan Lanskey, Dion Aiye, Jamie Doran, James Newton, Lasarusa Tabu, Perry Singleton, Lucas Castle, Josh Rourke, Daniel Spencer-Tonks, Oscar Doran, Jake Carter, Ross Ainley, Will Groves, George Hill, Brad Holroyd.
Barrow’s Championship game tomorrow is a real crunch confrontation as they entertain Swinton Lions.
Swinton, who host Whitehaven next week, currently occupy the final relegation place – a point behind Barrow and two below Keighley and Whitehaven.
Shane Toal is a notable absentee from the Barrow squad as he misses out due to concussion protocols.
Coach Paul Crarey has named: Jack Billington, Keanan Brand, Luke Broadbent, Andrew Bulman, Greg Burke, Brett Carter, Rio Corkill, Luke Cresswell, Charlie Emsley, Ben Evans, Adam Jackson, Ryan Johnston, Jarrod Sammut, Connor Saunders, Tolly Seward, Ryan Shaw, Jarrad Stack, Tom Wilkinson, Josh Wood, Greg Worthington.
