Alan Irving reports from the Recre

Last updated 19:17, Monday, 09 June 2008

Haven 32 Featherstone Rovers 18: Rip-roaring Whitehaven ran Rovers off their feet in the first 40 minutes to show that taking the scalp of Salford was no fluke.

Haven's Scott McAvoy tries to get away

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The sunshine brought out many of the missing fans and Haven turned up the heat in a brilliant display of attacking football yielding six top-drawer tries.

Deservedly the team went off to a half time ovation. It had been a crowd-pleasing extravaganza with a definite “wow” factor

At the finish the applause was still ringing out even though Haven failed to score another try and in terms of points Featherstone won the second half 12-2.

But with a bit more luck and composure Haven could well have added to the tally and supporters were more than happy by the sparkling fare.

Especially in that breathtaking first half, Haven were all razzle dazzle and the game seemed effectively over after 20 minutes. Fans must have thought they were day-dreaming in the sweltering heat as Tane Manihera-inspired Whitehaven scorched in for three tries in only nine minutes - it was heady stuff and Rovers who had just beaten Widnes were bewildered.

Enthused head coach Ged Stokes: “It was scintillating rugby league, that’s the way you like to see a side play but trying to keep that sort of production going the whole game was a little bit beyond us on such a hot day.”

Haven went into the gamed on a knife edge knowing that defeat against Featherstone would have been disastrous as well as taking the shine off the Salford triumph.

How could they follow it up? How would young Gregg McNally do after his personal “hat-trick” triumph against Salford?

Those three devastating tries in the first nine minutes dispelled all the doubts.

Schoolboy McNally wasn’t among the tries but again showed touches of real class and could so easily have added another “hat-trick.” His half-back combination with man-of-the-match Tane Manihera again worked a treat but this time it was the elder statesmen who took the lion’s share of the honours.

The heat never seemed to take its toll on the evergreen Kiwi, his use of the ball whether passing or kicking was a telling factor in creating tries while some of his Trojan tackling helped stop a few.

Tane’s goal-kicking wasn’t as faultless as it was against Salford - three out of six - but it mattered little.

Mind you, even when with his side leading 30-12 and only seven minutes left, Manihera decided to make absolutely sure by kicking an easy penalty goal.

Clearly, the aim was to deny Fev a valuable bonus point which indeed they might well have had but for some valiant last-ditch tackling in an exciting finale with both teams practically out on their feet.

And it was the crowd rising to their feet when McNally pulled off an interception from well inside his own half. Was this the moment when the teenage prodigy would get the elusive try?

Earlier on almost certainly but this was at the death and despite straining every sinew the 17-year-old just it was a lung-bursting effort and he was stopped in his tired tracks by stand-off Andy Kain.

But back to that blistering start.

It took only two minutes for one of this season’s pack stars Howard Hill to sell a peach of a “dummy” and stroll in at the corner with consummate ease.

Two minutes later..... and another of the unsung heroes, Spencer Miller, scored on his 200th first team game in the chocolate blue and gold.

And he had a certain youngster to thank for it.

From a standing start McNally’s mesmeric shimmy shredded the defensive line as he swept majestically through before turning the ball inside unselfishly with a perfectly weighted pass for Miller to get a prize touchdown.

Five minutes on and the clinical Manihera produced the first of his tormenting kicks for Ade Adebisi to score in the corner.

Ade is a huge favourite, the applause was just as great when he somersaulted over from Manihera’s sublime pass for the last of the six tries.

The speedster almost had another, courtesy of McNally, before the flying Calvert on the other wing raced in from 45 yards - Craig could well have had a brace himself but for the powerful Loz Wildbore but it was left for rangy second rower Scott McAvoy to show he could shimmy, too, taking McNally’s measured long pass and romping over for the fifth try of the half.

Fev, who squeezed in a 14th minute try from centre Tommy Saxton,came out fighting for the second, even scored twice through skipper Stuart Dickens and sub Carl Hughes.

Despite twice losing livewire scrum-half Paul Handforth to the sin bin, Rovers were in never say die mood but even in the draining heat Haven’s forwards fought fire with fire and I suspect the display of the pack in which hooker Graeme Mattinson was outstanding pleased Ged Stokes almost as much as the glorious first half attack.

Shame Ade Adebisi just failed to complete a “hat-trick” against his old team but it was also a day on which another young gun won his spurs - Danny Barker. The 20 year old was impressive, he made one storming break late on and decided to go for the line on his own, McNally agonised at not getting an inside pass but it would have been touch and go.

A red-letter day all round - the crowd’s cheers said so!

Match Facts

Whitehaven: Broadbent, Adebisi, Rob Jackson, Makisi, Calvert; Manihera, McNally, Edmondson, Mattinson, McDonald, Hill, McAvoy, Miller. Subs: Chris Smith, Marc Jackson, Barker, Ford.

Featherstone: Wildbore, Pryce, Kirk, Saxton, Batty, Kain, Paul Handforth; Tonks, McLocklan, Dickens, Hesketh, Blackeway, Haughey. Subs: Hughes, Richardson, Matty Handforth, Houston.

Referee: Thiery Alibert.

Attendance: 1,950.

Star man: Tane Manihera.