WARRINGTON WOLVES 6 BARROW RAIDERS 14
GREG NIXON, Halliwell Jones Stadium, Sunday
A TRY from Barrow centre Kelly Friend finally turned pressure into points in their narrow victory over Warrington.
Friend barged her way over on 58 minutes to break a determined Wire defence that had been pinned in its own 20 for much of the half.
With both teams looking for their first points of the season, Barrow dominated much of the second half after the teams had gone in at the break locked at six apiece before finally sealing the win with a Vanessa Temple try in the dying moments.
Warrington had started the game much the brighter side, with strong runs by centre Gracie Bradshaw and prop Jess Panayiotou.
But the game turned when winger Isabelle Malyon inexplicably failed to touch the ball down before being bundled over the in-goal touchline on six minutes.
The visitors took advantage of some ill-discipline and, with Friend and Nicole Stewart leading the line well, Jodie Morley crashed over to leave Stewart with the easiest of conversions from under the sticks.
Wire thought they had pegged the Raiders back just moments later when the versatile Albany-D Coates – starting in the second row – bundled over after some great work by Bradshaw and the ever-reliable Dani Bound, but the referee ruled it out after spotting an incorrect play-the-ball in the build-up.
The home side did find themselves level on the half-hour mark when Hollie Gregory intercepted a long pass from Beth Pattinson close to her own line to run 60 yards before offloading to Malyon, who made up for her earlier error by going over in the corner.
Emma Knowles landed the touchline conversion to level but with Bradshaw in the sin bin following a late shot on 39 minutes, Wire started the second half on the back foot.
They were not helped by a number of errors, but heroic defence led by Megan Condliffe and Ellie Dooney – who both started on the bench – looked to have soaked up all the Raiders could throw at them until Friend broke the deadlock.
And, with the Wolves growing ever more desperate to get back into the game, Barrow managed to hold out before Temple sealed the points late on.
WOLVES: 5 Sydney Alderman-Smith, 2 Kerrie Evans, 12 Gracie Bradshaw, 4 Hannah Goddard, 21 Isabelle Malyon, 13 Millie Bell, 7 Emma Knowles, 24 Jess Panayiotou, 9 Dani Bound, 11 Emily Downs, 17 Albany-D Coates, 15 Emma Lowe, 1 Hollie Gregory. Subs (all used): 13 Hollie Brussels, 8 Ellie Dooney, 10 Megan Condliffe, 26 Olivia Hill
Tries: Malyon (31); Goals: Knowles 1/1; Sin bin: Bradshaw (39) – late tackle
RAIDERS: 16 Charlotte Todhunter, 5 Chloe Capstick, 2 Shannon Parker, 8 Kelly Friend, 4 Claire Hutchinson, 6 Kerrie-Ann Smith, 7 Beth Pattinson, 14 Mia Dobson, 9 Beth Lindsay, 10 Jodie Morley, 11 Emily Stirzaker, 1 Vanessa Temple, 13 Nicole Stewart. Subs (all used): 12 Leah Clough, 19 Amy Sutherland, 15 Leah Cottier, 22 Jodie Crawford
Tries: Morley (7), Friend (58), Temple (75); Goals: Stewart 1/3
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6; 6-6; 6-10; 6-14
Half-time: 6-6