ROCHDALE HORNETS 36 WHITEHAVEN 32
JORDAN WEIR, Crown Oil Arena, Sunday
ROCHDALE made it three wins running in what was a great advert for third-tier rugby.
For Whitehaven, it was a seventh straight loss, but they must have been encouraged by this battling performance.
The match resembled a basketball contest throughout, with 13 tries scored and both sides’ left-hand edge particularly potent.
The scoring started on four minutes with Hornets’ Tom Ashton getting the first of his hat-trick of tries.
A Lewis Else kick was collected by Dylan Kelly-Duffy ahead of Whitehaven’s Dan Abram, and he found the supporting Ashton. Martyn Ridyard converted, the first of six goals from seven attempts.
Whitehaven had a rocky start but grew into the match and scored the next two tries.
Josh Blinkhorn, making his first start for the club, was the benefactor of a break down the left through Joe Hartley. He was tackled, but two plays later, Blinkhorn stretched out to ground the ball.
After 23 minutes, Rochdale were making their way upfield when perfect timing from Ellison Holgate clinched an interception, with the forward going untouched to score.
On-loan Dan Abram, on his 200th career appearance, converted both tries.
Rochdale hit back as Ashton secured his second. A penalty against Max Anderson-Moore for a challenge in the air on Dan Nixon gave the home side a fresh set and the visitors were powerless to stop the centre from short range.
Whitehaven’s advantage was stretched to 18-10 in the final stages of the first half as Holgate was the supporting man for Ethan Bickerdike’s offload. Abram goaled.
The first twelve minutes of the second half belonged to Rochdale, who ran in three tries to establish a lead they didn’t relinquish.
Ashton completed his hat-trick on the end of a flat crossfield kick from Ridyard while Max Flanagan and Else finished off attacking moves from the left. Ridyard converted all three tries for a ten-point advantage.
Whitehaven were down but certainly not out as captain Connor Holliday led from the front as he pushed out over a trio of tackles to score on 59 minutes. There were now only six points it it.
However Ellis Nixon scored Rochdale’s sixth try from a fast-paced right-to-left passing move, and Ridyard added the two from the touchline, then when Whitehaven strayed offside, kicked a penalty-goal for a 36-22 lead.
Haven did hit back with tries by Abram (he also converted it) and Anderson-Moore, but it was too little, too late.
GAMESTAR: Rochdale scrum-half Lewis Else was involved with most positive things his side did.
GAMEBREAKER: Martyn Ridyard’s penalty-goal after 70 minutes gave Hornets a 14-point lead.
MATCHFACTS
HORNETS
1 Max Flanagan
2 Dan Nixon
3 Ben Will
20 Tom Ashton
5 Luke Forber
6 Martyn Ridyard
7 Lewis Else
8 Ben Killan
9 Ross Whitmore
10 Luke Nelmes
11 Dylan Kelly-Duffy
18 Darcy Simpson
13 Emerson Whittel
Subs (all used)
14 Morgan Punchard
12 Isaac Reid
16 Jordan Andrade
17 Elijah Simpson
Tries: Ashton (4, 28, 41), Flanagan (46), Else (52), Nixon (65)
Goals: Ridyard 6/7
WHITEHAVEN
6 Dan Abram
5 Jay Weatherill
3 Mitchell Todd
2 Joe Hartley
22 Max Anderson-Moore
13 Jack Kellett
4 Ethan Bickerdike
10 Jordan Thomson
24 Josh Blinkhorn
8 Jake Pearce
19 Rio McQuistan
11 Connor Holliday
9 Ellison Holgate
Subs (all used)
12 Clark Chambers
21 Ellis Nixon
17 Karl Garner
32 Daniel Spencer-Tonks
Tries: Blinkhorn (18), Holgate (23, 35), Holliday (59), Abram (75), Anderson-Moore (80)
Goals: Abram 4/6
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 6-12, 10-12, 10-18; 16-18, 22-18, 28-18, 28-22, 34-22, 36-22, 36-28, 36-32
Rugby Leaguer & League Express Men of The Match
Hornets: Lewis Else; Whitehaven: Ellison Holgate
Penalty count: 5-2
Half-time: 10-18
Referee: Luke Bland
Attendance: 1,572