Barrow 40 Bears 12 - Betfred League 1, Round 11

Barrow are undisputed leaders of League 1, are getting their best crowds for years and look nailed on to gain promotion at the end of the season.

Coventry are the surprise package this season, chalking up victories at home against Keighley, Hunslet and Rochdale and seemingly capable of giving any team a run for their money, especially at their Butts Park home.

The expectation from all except the most glass half full, rose tinted spectacles wearing Bears fan was a fairly comprehensive win for the home side, but by no means a one-sided affair.

And that appears, looking at the scoreline of 40-12 to be exactly how things played out.

However, that wasn’t quite how it happened. It’s a long coach journey to Cumbria and the Bears took a while getting into their stride, and that cost them dearly.

Despite almost taking a shock lead, the Bears found themselves on the receiving end of a three try burst as first Hulme, Mossop and then Shaw crossed over within six minutes of each other with Dallimore getting all three conversions to put the home side 18-0 in the lead after fifteen minutes.

But the Bears don’t lie down these days and Coates was next to score for the Bears, and then Liam Welham added to the fightback, bringing the score back to 18-12.

That proved to be the high point as Bustin added to Barrow’s lead to give a halftime score of 24-12, with the Bears still in the game.

Much of the second half was a stalemate in the baking heat, before Swanbrook put the game beyond any doubt for the home side on 65 minutes.

The game was effectively over, but that didn’t stop Carl Forster bagging two late tries in a late burst to give the Craven Park crowd a comfortable victory to cheer.

Which leaves that glass half full, rose tinted spectacles wearing Bears fan wanting to discount the first and last 15 minutes to reveal an evenly matched encounter!

The Bears travels continue next weekend as they visit ‘local rivals’ London Skolars hoping to gain revenge for a home defeat inflicted by the London team.