Barrow Raiders Ladies lost their second Challenge Cup group game after a thriller against Wigan Warriors.
They went under 20-18 but the performance by the Raiders will have encouraged coach Amanda Wilkinson ahead of their rematch in the opening Super League game next month.
Barrow had led for a long time before being mugged at the end, beaten by a late try and pressure conversion.
Barrow took the lead in the tenth minute when good work from Vanessa Temple and a smart off-load put Michelle Larkin over for the opening try which Jodie Litherland converted.
Wigan hit back and were level on 22 minutes when Ellise Derbyshire scored a try and Isabel Rowe converted.
Back came Barrow and on 28 minutes they were back in front with an unconverted try from Temple after being given the final pass by Litherland.
Four minutes before the interval Barrow scored again with a second try from Temple and they took a 14-6 lead into the break.
When Alice Rush got over for Barrow’s fourth try eight minutes after the re-start it looked promising for the Raiders but the Warriors responded well and proved the stroger side over the final quarter.
Derbyshire scored her second on 52 minutes and Kaitlin Hilton followed her over on the hour to cut the home lead to 18-14.
Wigan’s experience began to tell and on 74 minutes Rowe went in for the final Wigan try, with her conversion edging the Warriors ahead for the first time – but when it mattered.
There was one last chance for Barrow which they seemed to have taken. As the hooter sounded Mia Dobson got over but the referee disallowed the score for a forward pass earlier in the build-up.
