Martin Hawksworth reports

Last updated 14:30, Tuesday, 25 March 2008

Featherstone Rovers 28 Whitehaven 6: HAVEN made a poor start to their National League One campaign with a six-try defeat against newly-promoted Featherstone at the Chris Moyles Stadium.

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David Fatialofa

It was a match the visitors never looked like winning. They were 24-0 down before former Featherstone winger Ade Adebisi scored their solitary try in the 64th minute.

Craig Calvert and Ryan McDonald were both sin-binned for punching as Haven paid dear for ill discipline.

Despite playing downhill with a strong wind behind them, they trailed 16-0 at half-time and rarely looked capable of turning things round in the second period.

Carl Rudd tried hard to inspire Haven and Garry Broadbent and David Fatialofa also showed up well but too many of their team-mates had off-days in a performance they will want to quickly forget.

Strong-running loose-forward Tommy Haughey was Featherstone's match-winner with a hat-trick of tries.

Haughey looked almost unstoppable near the try line. He put Rovers 8-0 up by crossing twice in three minutes after they had weathered an early Haven onslaught.

Haven struggled to get in the game and put themselves under pressure by frequently giving away possession. They were twice penalised for crossing in the first-half.

Hardly anything seemed to go their way. They were out of luck in the 22nd minute when Fatialofa sent Spencer Miller racing over but he was recalled for a forward pass.

Haven fell further behind when they conceded two tries in three minutes.

Andy Kain and Tommy Haughey made the opening for Lee Lingard to cross before Paul Handforth darted over from close range.

Haven finished the half with 12 men after Calvert was sin-binned in the 38th minute. Conditions deteriorated at the start of the second-half and the visitors had to contend with a blizzard in their faces.

However, with the aid of three consecutive penalties, they applied all the early pressure.

Leroy Joe was held up over the line and Rudd's clever kick nearly led to a try.

Another chance went begging when Joe put in a neat kick. With Featherstone's defence at sixes and sevens, the ball stood up nicely but Joe was unable to regather it in the tricky conditions.

The game slipped further away from Haven when Stuart Dickens kicked a 53rd minute penalty and then converted Richard Blakeway's try four minutes later.

McDonald was then sin-binned mid-way through the half as Haven's frustration again surfaced.

Adebisi showed his pace in a 70-yard run before Haven finally opened their account when Rudd was involved in a move that resulted in Adebisi scoring near the corner.

Rudd added a magnificent touchline conversion against the wind, with the ball going over via the crossbar.

However, Haven finished well beaten when Haughey sealed their fate with his third try ten minutes from time.

Referee Jamie Leahy put an incident on report in the closing stages when Rovers full-back Loz Wildbore appeared to be impeded as he attempted to catch a high kick.

MATCH STATS

Haven: Broadbent, Calvert, Jackson, Eilbeck, Adebisi, Joe, Finch; McDonald, Mattinson, Edmondson, Miller, Fletcher, Rudd. Substitutes: Sice, McAvoy, Hill, Fatialofa.

Try: Adebisi.

Goal: Rudd.

Rovers: Wildbore, Pryce, Saxton, McHugh, Lingard; Kain, Handforth, A Tonks, McLocklan, Dickens, Field, Dooler, Haughey. Substitutes: Eadie, Houston, I Tonks, Blakeway.

Tries: Haughey (3), Lingard, Handforth, Blakeway.

Goals: Dickens (2).

Penalties: Featherstone 13, Whitehaven 8

Sin-bin: Craig Calvert (38, punching), Ryan McDonald (60, punching).

Referee: Jamie Leahy (Dewsbury).

Attendance: 1,069.

Haven star man: Carl Rudd.