BARROW RAIDERS 38 SALFORD 4
PETER WILSON, Northern Competitions Stadium, Saturday
NEW-LOOK Salford’s first Championship win will not be too far away if they can build on what was an encouraging effort in the driving Cumbrian rain.
Seven Barrow players shared tries in what was, as expected, a largely comfortable victory, but while the visitors lacked experience they did more than enough to send the enthusiastic travelling fans home with something to believe in.
They had to wait until the 71st minute for their first Championship points of the season – also the first the Raiders had conceded – but Oliver Garmston’s try brought the biggest cheer of the night. The fans could go home soaked but with something to smile about.
The Raiders were never seriously threated from the fourth minute when Luke Cresswell and Curtis Teare combined for the fullback to open the scoring and Brad Walker added the first of five conversions.
Three minutes later Tee Ritson rounded off a smart passing move to go over for Barrow’s second.
Things quickly got worse for Salford and on 13 minutes winger Dan Knott marked his debut with a try and Salford were leaking more than a point a minute.
But if the home fans were warming up for a massacre Salford had no intention of caving in. With their experienced hooker Brad Dwyer doing his bit to keep their spirits up, there was a 20-minute break in the scoring.
Conditions were worsening by the minute and mistakes were mounting up but Salford managed to stand their ground and, although their attack lacked any serious challenge to a solid home defence, they did not buckle.
Instead they put the home line under threat only to fail to make the final breakthrough. Reward for that effort was just out of reach, and when Castleford loanee Aiden Doolan scored in his first game back Barrow too were out of reach.
Just before the break a mazy run for Ritson caught the visitors on the wrong foot and ended with Matty Costello going in for try number five.
More Barrow pressure brought a 48th-minute try for Ellis Archer, and when Luke Broadbent added the Raiders’ seventh it seemed only a matter of playing out time and Salford would go home empty-handed.
But there was still time for the try that gave their fans something to take out of the game.
The Barrow defence was broken for the first time and Garmston put the finishing touch to a scramble in the corner, where Toby Hughes couldn’t convert.
It wasn’t much, but still something to add to a display which was nothing like the disaster that looked likely in those opening 13 minutes.
GAMESTAR: When the conditions called for heavy lifting, Greg Richards wasn’t far away.
GAMEBREAKER: Matty Costello’s Tee Ritson-made try three minutes before the break gave Barrow the comfort of a 28-point lead.
MATCHFACTS
RAIDERS
1 Luke Cresswell
20 Dan Knott
4 Curtis Teare
5 Luke Broadbent
25 Tee Ritson
6 Brad Walker
32 Ellis Archer
10 Joe Bullock
9 Josh Wood
8 Tom Walker
11 Ellis Robson
12 Matty Costello
13 Ryan King
Subs (all used)
14 Aiden Doolan
16 Greg Richards
15 Charlie Emslie
30 Jarrad Stack
Tries: Cresswell (4), Ritson (7), Knott (13), Doolan (32), Costello (37), Archer (48), Broadbent (63)
Goals: B Walker 5/7
SALFORD
18 Rafael Van Osselaer
2 Sam Hill
29 Deacon Connolly
37 Kieran Taylor
20 Joe Hartley
32 Toby Hughes
27 Matty Ross
36 Sam Bowring
9 Brad Dwyer
10 Owen Haldenby
26 Reece Stanton
12 Oliver Garmston
14 Fin Yates
Subs (all used)
33 Ethan Newboult
16 Leunbou Bardyel-Wells
24 Cole Appleby
25 Damola Ayanlaja-Lowo
Tries: Garmston (71)
Goals: Hughes 0/1
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 10-0, 16-0, 22-0, 28-0; 32-0, 38-0, 38-4
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of the Match
Raiders: Greg Richards; Salford: Brad Dwyer
Penalty count: 5-5
Half-time: 28-0
Referee: Adam Williams
Attendance: 2,170