WHITEHAVEN 20 ROCHDALE HORNETS 0
JORDAN WEIR, Ortus REC, Sunday
WHITEHAVEN grabbed their first victory of 2026 in their sixth outing in all competitions thanks to an inspired seven-minute, three-try period in the first half.
Rochdale huffed and puffed, but couldn’t blow the home defensive line over.
Reeling from conceding ten tries the week before, it was those rearguard efforts which helped clinch the two points.
Hornets were on top in the early stages as Whitehaven gifted opportunities with handling errors, but the hosts held strong in the face of numerous attacking sets.
Once Anthony Murray’s side regained attacking composure, they got the game’s opening score before the end of the first quarter thanks to Ciaran Walker, whose grubber held up in the muddy conditions, with the former Workington halfback fastest to dive on his own ball through to secure his first try in Whitehaven colours.
He couldn’t add the extras from near the left-hand touchline, but it was back-to-back delight as minutes later, Walker’s pivot partner Jack Newbegin broke through and found supporting Barrow loanee Seth Woodend to cross for his first try in the professional game.
Walker once again failed to find the target from the tee.
After 25 minutes, Ellison Holgate was on the end of a Walker break to secure his first try of the campaign. This time Walker added the goal for a 14-0 lead.
That was extended just before the break, when Whitehaven were awarded a scrum following a Rochdale knock-on as they advanced from their own line.
The ball was shifted left from the base of the scrum to find centre Ethan Bickerdike, who broke the defensive line to score what proved to be the final try of the contest.
Walker increased his conversion percentage to 50 and gave his team a 20-point advantage.
The second half was more even, with both sides having chances to get on the scoresheet.
Rochdale had Whitehaven on the ropes with a spell of three sets in succession before a handling error which was later followed by five back-to-back sets due to persistent offending in defence, but the Cumbrians remained resolute.
Their opportunities to add some points themselves were limited, but they were half a metre short on three consecutive tackles around the 70-minute mark.
Rochdale stand-off Jamie Dallimore attempted a chip and chase late on, but it didn’t quite come off.
GAMESTAR: Whitehaven stand-off Ciaran Walker controlled his side’s attacking threat all afternoon and crossed for his first try for the club.
GAMEBREAKER: Three tries in seven first-half minutes gave Whitehaven an advantage they never looked in danger of losing.
MATCHFACTS
WHITEHAVEN
18 Cole Walker-Taylor
19 Dave Eccleston
28 Seth Woodend
4 Ethan Bickerdike
2 Mitchell Todd
6 Ciaran Walker
7 Jack Newbegin
16 Brad Brennan
9 Ellison Holgate
10 Jordan Thomson
11 Connor Holliday
23 Ben Pearce
13 Jack Kellett
Subs (all used)
8 Jake Pearce
12 Rio McQuistan
17 Aaron Turnbull
35 Jackson Smith
Tries: Walker (18), Woodend (21), Holgate (25), Bickerdike (36)
Goals: Walker 2/4
HORNETS
22 TJ Boyd
21 Jack Holmes
3 Tom Ashton
28 Kieran Taylor
4 Junior Sa’u
6 Jamie Dallimore
25 Jack Hansen
10 Lewis Hatton
19 Luke Waterworth
33 Jack Houghton
17 Dylan Kelly-Duffy
24 Ben Metcalfe
13 Jordan Syme
Subs (all used)
27 Reiss Butterworth
8 Jaden Dayes
23 Marcus Green
34 Isaac Coleman
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0, 8-0, 14-0, 20-0; 20-0
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of The Match
Whitehaven: Ciaran Walker; Hornets: Jordan Syme
Penalty count: 7-8
Half-time: 20-0
Referee: Aaryn Belafonte
Attendance: 460