Rams second half fightback in vain as they fall to defeat against Barrow Raiders.
Following on from last weekend’s home defeat against Widnes Vikings, the Rams travelled up to Cumbria for their first away Betfred Championship fixture of 2024.
The game didn’t start well for Dewsbury as Tom Wilkinson scored first for the home side after just four minutes, going over under the sticks. However, the Rams managed to answer straight back through Bailey Dawson, who just about managed to get the ball down on the Rams’ left hand side.
For the next fifteen minutes or so the game turned into an arm wrestle with neither side being able to take control until the home side quickly turned the tide scoring two quick-fire tries.
Firstly, Kevan Wilkinson scored under the posts after a break from Luke Cresswell, then from the restart Ryan Shaw found a gap in the defence and fed Luke Broadbent to score.
Barrow managed to get another two tries with just under ten minutes remaining of the half, Kevan Rothwell scored his second of the afternoon and Matt Costello scored with a couple of minutes remaining in the first forty.
Just before the hooter, Lewis Carr looked to have gone over for the Rams but the pass to him was judged to have been forward.
After a disappointing first half, the Rams knew they’d need to start quickly in the second and did so when Jacob Hookem managed to wriggle over from close range to score his second of the season. Owen Restall then brought Dewsbury to within ten points after a lovely offload from Lewis Carr, which gave him the opportunity to score his first of the season.
With a little under fifteen minutes left the Rams got themselves back to within six points when Ollie Greensmith scored his first in 2024. With their tails well and truly up, Dewsbury applied more and more pressure on the Barrow line but couldn’t find a way through to level the game. Ryan Johnston then kicked a drop goal to seal the win for Barrow with just seconds remaining.
After the game Rams Head Coach Coach Dale Ferguson said, “We put ourselves in a very good position after the first twenty minutes, but closed out that first half with some real indiscipline, which has ended up costing us.
We had a few standout performances in the second half as we managed to get ourselves back in it, but the disappointing thing is the way we invited Barrow into the game in the last twenty minutes of the first half, we need to learn that at this level we’re going to get stung in this competition.”
Our next game sees us back out on the road at Heywood Road on Sunday 21st April to face Swinton Lions in our Betfred Championship Round 4 clash, with kick off at 15:00.
Barrow Raiders (27): Cresswell, Bullman, Costello, Broadbent, Shaw, B.Walker, Johnston, T.Walker, Wood, Silver, Clarke, Emslie, Wilkinson.
Interchanges: Forber, Rothwell, Gilliam, Burke, Carter (18th).
Tries: Wilkinson (4′), Rothwell (26′, 32′), Broadbent (28′), Costello (37′)
Conversions: Shaw (3/5)
Drop Goal: Johnston (79′)
Dewsbury Rams (20): Restall, Carr, M.Walker, Greensmith, Whiteley, Hookem, Sykes, Beckett, Davies, R.Dixon, Dawson, Billington, Collinson.
Interchanges: Bibby, Morris, Hird, Copley, J.Walker (18th)
Tries: Dawson (10′), Hookem (50′), Restall (53′), Greensmith (67′)
Conversions: Sykes (2/4)
