News
Widnes win Northern Rail Cup
13th July 2009
Widnes Vikings took a significant step towards reclaiming their Super League status by lifting the Northern Rail Cup for the second time in three years with a 34-18 win against Barrow Raiders.
Victory over a brave but ultimately outclassed Barrow in front of a crowd of 8,720 crowd at Blackpool's Bloomfield Road means the Vikings are eligible to submit an application for a three-year Super League licence in 2011.
They lost out to Salford and Celtic Crusaders a year ago but, with a first-class facility at the Stobart Stadium and coach Paul Cullen gradually re-building a useful team, it is surely now only a matter of time before Widnes are back in the big time.
They were indebted to loan players Kevin Penny and Craig Hall for Sunday's victory, Warrington winger Penny scoring two of their six tries and Hull FC centre Hall kicking five goals from six attempts.
Barrow had high hopes of lifting their first silverware for 26 years when they led 8-6 but the game went away from them in a crucial 10-minute period before half-time when they conceded three tries.
The match got off to a feisty start but the sin-binning of front rowers Brett McDermott (Barrow) and Jim Gannon (Widnes) after only six minutes had the desired affect of cooling tempers.
Veteran half-back Darren Holt gave Barrow the lead with a seventh-minute penalty but Widnes second rower Richard Fletcher scored the game's first try, taking Anthony Thackray's inside pass to stroll through a gap in the Raiders defence.
Former London Broncos loose forward Zeb Luisi levelled the scores after 26 minutes with a fine solo try and Holt's conversion edged Barrow back in front but that as as good as it got for them as the Vikings hit a purple patch just before the break.
John Duffy, making a record fourth Cup final appearance with his third different club, nipped over from dummy half within minutes of replacing captain Mark Smith to give Widnes a lead they would not relinquish.
Penny then took centre stage, winning the race to James Webster's lofted kick to the corner for his first try and taking a suspiciously forward pass from Hall for his second.
Hall's third goal made it 22-8 at the break and, although winger James Nixon added a second try for the Raiders early in the second half, centre Toa Kohe-Love's try just short of the hour mark made sure there was no way back.
Substitute Scott Kaighan took advantage of a handling error by Kohe-Love to score a consolation try but there was still time for centre Richard Varkulis to add a sixth try for the Vikings.
