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Highlights 2004
Highlights 2003
Highlights 2002

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Whitehaven RL
Recreation Ground
Coach Rd
Tel 01946 692915

Fax 01946 695805


Travel for away fixtures contact Steve Shepherd Tel. 07740867495.

Action pictures can be purchased from photographer Mike McKenzie

 


Squad News
While Joel Penny heads across the Pennines to Halifax, welcome to the Recre for Rob Jackson, Oliver Wilkes and John Duffy.Rob Jackson


Whitehaven RL car stickers
Now just £1 each at Richardsons Wine and Gifts on Lowther Street.

David Fatialofa puts his neck on the line for Haven ....voted top player 2005

Saint's Coach

Thursday Nov 3 2005
Whitehaven RLFC have appointed St Helens Assistant Coach Dave Rotheram as their new Head Coach. The former London Broncos player and Assistant Coach has joined the club on a two year deal. The thirty seven year old was chosen from a short list of five applicants and the Board feel that Dave is the right man to take the club further forward. He has coaching experience at all levels and has worked alongside coaches like Tony Rea, Ian Millward and Daniel Anderson.

Sadly Steve Mccormack took Mick Nanyn with him to the banks of the Mersey.

Whitehaven have indicated that they will be making no more signings until their new coach is on board. West Cumbrian born prop Ryan McDonald will be the last player to come on board at Haven until a coach has been selected after he put pen to paper at the weekend.

What a Superb Season 2005

No shame in being top of the League!
Fans braved grotty rain to see the lads given a ticker tape cheer down Lowther Street.....Chairman Des Byrne says Haven will dust themselves down for a great 2006 season..The celebration was thanks to Whitehaven Maritime Fest. Grand Final team Pic...
Chairman Des Byrne leads Haven out at the 2005 Grand Final

Gutted


Castleford 36 (26-0) 8 Haven

Grand Final Oct 9 2005 (The day to forget!)

Castleford took control for most of first half with Haven first half nerves failing to calm before the turn around.

Penalties started the blitz and then Leroy Joe was sin-binned for a high tackle on Davis.

Then first half tries for the Tigers from Huby, Crouch, Blanch and Man of the Match Brad Davis.

This time there was no second half come back. More Tiger tries from Davis and Haughey.

Our double century scorer David Seeds got the first of Haven's only tires. He also fed to Craig Calvert for Whitehaven's second. Only consolation... no need to visit Brunton Park and plans for new stand at the Recre mean we will be ready in 2006.
Whitehaven: Broadbent, Calvert, Seeds, Nanyn, Wilson, Joe, Penny, Tandy, Sice, Fatialofa, Miller, Hill, Lester.
Replacements: Rudd, Summers, Chambers, Jackson.

Castleford: Platt, Pryce, Shenton, Hepworth, Blanch, Davis, Henderson, A. Watene, A. Smith, Fletcher, Haughey, Crouch, Bird.
Replacements: Handforth, Huby, Vowles, F. Watene.

Referee was Steve Ganson
Gate 13,000 plus


Fantastic Haven Come Back
Haven 32 (6-18) Castleford 22

Whitehaven sealed their place in the LHF Healthplan Grand Final with a tremendous comeback to beat Castleford 32-22.

The Cumbrians trailed 18-6 at half-time after Castleford started strongly, scoring 18 points without reply in the opening 15 minutes.

Carl Sice pulled a try back 10 minutes before the break and got another in the second half before Nick Nanyn grabbed a double himself. Craig Chambers and Craig Calvert also touched down to spark celebrations after the match Whitehaven 32 22 Castleford Tigers 15.00
Tries: Sice 30min, 41min, Nanyn 72min, 77min, Chambers 61min, Calvert 65min,
Conversions: Nanyn 30min, 41min, 61min, 77min,
Drop Goals:

Tries: Pryce 2min, Bird 10min, Hepworth 15min,
Conversions: Huby 10min, 12min, 15min, 49min, 58min,
Drop Goals:

Attendance 6000

Referee Mr S Ganson


Town narrowly beat Swinton 17-16

Try our Haven new car stickers...
Car stickers just £1 each at Ricardsons wines on Lowther Street

Top of the Table Trophy winners



Bulldogs fail to stop the 'Champions'

 

Sice gets better and better and enjoyed a blistering game in blistering heat. Also on form was Joel Penny who was voted Man of the Match.
Tries from Penny, Seeds, Nanyn (3), Sice(2), Hill, Joe and Rudd. Nanyn not only had his hat trick of tries but was steady goalkicker (7). The game was charcterised by Haven domination which at time rattled the visitors with Steve Jones being yellow carded. However reports also had Lester on report after his boot collided with a Batley player as Sice made one of his superb drives through the defence.

Haven: Broadbent, Calvert, Seeds, Nanyn, Wilson, Joe, Penny, Tandy, Sice, Fatialofa, Miller, Hill, Lester, Subs; Chambers, Summers, Rudd, McDermott.
Batley: Lingard, Stokes, Jones, Marsh, Sibson, Roden, Eaton, Morgan, Lythe, Rourke, Richardson, Robinson, Gallagher, Spears.

Bulldog tries: Lingard, Robinson.

Ref. Ben Thaler

Gate 1,903


It all came right in the end!
Nanyn the Unstoppable

Hull KR 14- Haven 18
Tries: Nanyn (2) and Jacko....
Conversions: Nanyn (3)

 


Haven 36 Oldham 16.
Tries from Sice (2), O'Neill ,Calvert , Broadbent , Lester and Rudd




Sunday July 24

Haven 50 (32-6) 16 Featherstone
Gate 1458

The game did not exactly go according to the script but we had the half century at the finale. Rovers even looked at one point as if they could slip under the wire as Haven left defensive gaps after the turn around.

One high note in the first half came withcheers heard in Whitehaven town centre after David Seeds proved how prolific a try taker he has been with his 200th try for Whitehaven.

Front-rower Marc Jackson made his first league appearance of
the season, but has yet to return to his full impact form.
Carl Sice enjoyed an excellent game touching down the final nail in the coffin just before the hooter.

Man of the Match,Broadbent, had a strong game touching down in the lacklustre second half.

Haven fans had to endure seeing their side rarely leave their own half in the first half of the second period. Haven tries from Calvert(2), Sice(2), Seeds, Joe, Kirkbride and Broadbent.

Haven : Broadbent, Calvert, Seeds, Nanyn, Wilson, Joe, Penny,
Summers, Sice, Fatialofa, McDermott, Miller, Lester. Subs: Hill, Jackson,
Kirkbride, Davidson.

Mascot Callum Morgan runs out with his hero, Mick Nanyn at the start of the Featherstone game.

 

Fax Collapse
After beating Halifax at the start of the season...now this!

This was always going to be a tough game for the Haven , but no-one could have predicted before the game that Haven would be hammered by 60 pts to 18 by an improving Halifax team . An astonishing six tries in 15 minutes either side of half-time was the key to victory as Whitehaven wilted in the baking heat.

Halifax were clinical in everything they did - winning the forward battle up
front, getting quick play-the-balls and finishing moves with ruthless
efficiency. For Whitehaven it truly was a day to forget, with salt being poured into their wounds through a succession of injuries which left them with just 1 fit substitute with around 1 hour to go. Halifax dominated proceedings from the early stages. Substitute Black - on for the injured Dean Lawford - made his his mark with a burst up the middle,
before opening the scoring after dummying his way through from close range.
Three minutes later Halifax doubled their lead when loose forward Weisner's
pass was seized upon by James Haley, who sped through the static Whitehaven defence. Damian Ball then continued the movement before off-loading to Weisner who crossed by the posts. Weisner, who ended up with a personal haul of 24 points, converted his own try.

Slowly Whitehaven came into the game as they establish some field possession. Centre Mick Nanyn lost the ball over the line, substitute Paul Davidson made a predictably enthusiastic contribution to the Whitehaven cause. However just before the half hour mark the Halifax onslaught began. Weisner - who was outstanding all afternoon in both attack and defence - began the spree by grabbing his second try. His flat pass put hooker Fisher through a gap and he off-loaded to his Australian colleague.

Three minutes later, Black gained his second after following up another Ball break, before centre Anthony Blackwood grabbed two tries in as many minutes before half-time.

First he out-jumped Wesley Wilson to claim Black's cross field kick, before
picking up a loose Whitehaven pass to streak over from 70 metres. Weisner
kicked his fifth goal of the afternoon to put Halifax 34-0 up at half-time and
depart the field to a standing ovation.

If the first half had ended badly for Whitehaven, then it got worse straight
after the interval when Andy Spink crossed following a Fisher break. Two
minutes later, the scoring spree continued when Chris Morley got in on the
act. With the game comprehensively over as a contest after just 43 minutes, Whitehaven finally mounted an assault as Nanyn scored in the right hand corner after a flowing move.

Black sealed his hat-trick on the hour mark as he ghosted in from 30 yards
after the impressive Ball burst up the middle. Straight from the kick off Whitehaven regained possession and substitute Carl Sice crossed from close range. Prop Howard Hill then strode through a weak defence on 65 minutes to gain a measure of respectability for the Haven .
Halifax gained tries to Rikki Sheriffe and Fisher, in the process setting a
new Halifax record of tries in a season for a hooker.

In between referee Julian King settled the ongoing feud between Davidson and McDonald by dispatching Davidson to the sin-bin for a swinging arm.

A bad day at the office for Steve Macs team ? Maybe but lets hope that its only temporary . With 7 games remainingthe NL 1 title is still wide open and it will be the team that shows the best form that will take it . With a week off the Haven will now reflect on what went wrong at Halifax and come out with all guns blazing when Featherstone visit the Recre on July 21 st
MATCH FACTS:
HALIFAX:
Damian Gibson; Alan Hadcroft, James Haley, Anthony Blackwood, Rikki Sheriffe;
Pat Weisner, Dean Lawford; Chris Morley, Ben Fisher, Jason Boults, David
Larder, Andy Spink, Damian Ball
Subs: Ben Black, Ryan MacDonald, Andy Hobson, Scott Law
Tries: Black (10, 31, 60), Weisner (13, 28), Blackwood (39, 40), Spink (41),
Morley (43), Sheriffe (70), Fisher (79)
Goals: Weisner 8/11

HAVEN:
Gary Broadbent; Craig Calvert, David Seeds, Mick Nanyn, Wesley Wilson; Leroy
Joe, Joel Penny; Howard Hill, Aaron Lester, David Fatialofa, Iain Morrison,
Brett McDermott, Carl Rudd
Subs: Spencer Miller, Paul Davidson, Carl Sice, Chris McKinney
Tries: Nanyn (53), Sice (61), Hill (65)
Goals: Nanyn 3/3
Sin-Bin: Davidson (79) - swinging arm

Half-Time: 34-0
Penalty Count: 7-9
Referee: Julian King (St Helens)
Attendance: 1,550

Welcome to Haven for National Conference Player of the Year Graham Mattinson, 20, has joined Whitehaven
from Wath Brow as a hooker and has trained with the first team for the past
two weeks. McCormack, has released Ryan Campbell and prop Mark Cox to neighbours Workington Town on loan.

Take-over plan dropped
Shareholders in Whitehaven 1992 Ltd learned on Tuesday evening that Haven director Tony Ansell was withdrawing his offer to buy out key shareholders as part of investment plan. Memories of an earlier boardroom issue...the merger that almost was.

No way past Tigers
June 5 2005
Castleford Tigers outclassed Whitehaven for the second time in three weeks,
following their 42-24 LHF Healthplan National League One win over the
Cumbrians with a 42-14 victory.

The hosts never looked back after Tommy Haughey and Paul Handforth scored early tries while Whitehaven's Howard Hill was in the sin-bin.

Further touchdowns from Steve Crouch, Waine Pryce and Michael Platt put
Castleford firmly in command at half-time and they added another at the start of the second half from Frank Watene.

Haven's David Fatialofa, Mick Nanyn and Craig Calvert crossed in the second half but it was not enough to deny Castleford their first final appearance since 1994.

The home side's other points came from an Andy Kain try and goals from Craig Huby (five), Richard Fletcher and Brad Davis
Action:
6 min - Try, Tommy Haughey, (Castleford)
14 min - Try, Paul Handforth, (Castleford)
20 min - Try, Steve Crouch, (Castleford)
20 min - Goal, Richard Fletcher, (Castleford)
31 min - Try, Waine Pryce, (Castleford)
39 min - Try, Michael Platt, (Castleford)
39 min - Goal, Craig Huby, (Castleford)
42 min - Try, Frank Watene, (Castleford)
42 min - Goal, Craig Huby, (Castleford)
47 min - Goal, Mick Nanyn, (Whitehaven)
47 min - Try, David Fatialofa, (Whitehaven)
52 min - Try, Mick Nanyn, (Whitehaven)
58 min - Try, Andy Kain, (Castleford)
58 min - Goal, Craig Huby, (Castleford)
61 min - Try, Craig Calvert, (Whitehaven)
74 min - Goal, Brad Davis, (Castleford)
75 min - Goal, Craig Huby, (Castleford)
80 min - Goal, Craig Huby, (Castleford)

Whitehaven: Gary Broadbent, Craig Calvert, David Seeds (Spencer Miller, 17), Mick Nanyn, Wesley Wilson, Leroy Joe, Joel Penny, Aaron Summers (Paul Davidson, 17), Aaron Lester, David Fatialofa (Graeme Morton, 20), Brett McDermott (Carl Sice, 29), Howard Hill, Carl Rudd
Subs: Spencer Miller, Carl Sice, Paul Davidson, Graeme Morton

Referee: P Bentham
Attendance: 5019

Whitehaven kept their 100% records intact in LHF Healthplan National League One after Sunday's fifth round of games.

After a two week lay off , it could have been a tricky one for the Haven , however in the final analysis they were brutal in destroying winning 60-6 at Boundary Park scoring in total 11 tries in their romp over Oldham.
First half tries from Craig Calvert (two) , Gary Broadbent, David Seeds, plus three Mick Nanyn goals gave Haven a comforatble 22-6 lead at the half .

After the break the Haven ran away with the game as further scores came from Mick Nanyn two, Joel Penny, Aaron Lester, Carl Sice, Howard Hill and Steven Kirkbride also touching down. Two second half goals from Mick Nanyn and three from Steven Kirkbride completed the scoring for Haven .

An awesome performance from Haven even taking into the account the obvious failings of the opposition , everyone in the team from 1 to 17 contributed though once again the go forward from the props Baynes , Fatialofa and Summers really laid the foundation
Sharp in attack and uncompromising in defence they go into the next two league games - Hull KR h and Castleford a - looking well capable of consolidating their position at the top of the LHF National League 1

 

Meanwhile Haven's new boy Carl Rudd has been named in the National League One team of the month – just two months after making his debut for the club in Northern Rail Cup home win over Gateshead on February 27.

The 22-year-old former Wath Brow Hornets star has made a dreamstart to his pro career , making 10 appearances including nine in the starting line-up, and scoring two tries. Carl Rudd was nominated in the loose-forward role . He had turned pro in July last year after being man of the match for Wath Brow at stand-off in their GMB Union National Cup final win over Oldham St Anne’s at Blackpool in May.

He then went on to star for BARLA Great Britain Lions on their tour of Australia , but did not feature for Haven last year after undergoing knee reconstruction surgery.

Three other Haven players have been recognised for their efforts in lifting the Recre outfit to the top of NL1.

Also in the Rugby League World magazine April team of the month , are winger Craig Calvert, second rower Craig Chambers and prop Aaron Summers.

Their selection is great news for Cumbrian rugby league, with Calvert, Rudd and Chambers all home-grown talent.

Haven currently lead NL1, ahead of Castleford and Hull KR, who have just two and three representatives in the dream team respectively.

“All four deserve this for the way they have played and all the effort they put in to training and on match days,” said Haven chief executive Graeme Thompson.


Team keep Dons Bottled up

The two Aarons had crowd-cheering performances in this hard fought contest.Fats gets a subtle Dons neck tackle....not quite legal we would have thought The score line reflects the hard task faced by Haven in bottling up a big bulky Doncaster. As of old the high tackles came into play, but Haven would not be intimidated. After a first half waiting game as each side tested their opponents, Summers used sheer power to burst through several Don defenders for the first blood. Nanyn easily converted straight under the sticks, but mysteriously Summers was sin binned seconds after his touch down. Leroy Joe continues in top form and created the chance for Wes Wilson to bring it to 10-0 at half-time.

The second fastest winger in RL, Craig Calvert broke from cover inside Haven's half to outrace the Dons to make it 14-0. The game then stalled for ten minutes until Lester found a way through to supply to Carl Rudd who touched down (18-0)

Nanyn converted this. Doncaster got a consolation try in the last five minutes.

Man of the Match was judged to be Carl Rudd. The gate was a sunny 1945.

The weekend also saw...Haven's youngsters chalked up their first win of the season with a comprehensive 46-18 over Keighley at the Copeland stadium .

The team and scorers were:1 Martin Barwise 2 Sean Sutton 3 Daniel Smith 4 Paul Lowery 5 Lewis Salmon 6 Greg Lofthouse 7 Marc Bainbridge
8 David Lowery 9 Gary Johnstone 10 Martin McMullen 11 Philip Coyles
12 Kyle Amor 13 Ryan Fisher 14 Paul Ash 15 Ben Rogerson 16 Nathan Mossop 17 Kevin Williamson

Tries were scored by Sutton, Smith 2, Salmon, D Lowery, Gary Johstone
3, Amor. Bainbridge kicked 5 goals

Great Second Half Stand
Haven traveled to Yorkshire buoyed by that tremendous win over Halifax last week, but with several enforced changes - Joel Penny was out , Steve Kirkbride was in at no 7 while Carl Sice also missed out with Gary Purdham standing in.

Rovers are not having a happy time of it right now and Haven got of to the best possible start . Rovers knocked on in their first set of six, and from the resulting possession stand-off Leroy Joe danced over untouched from 15 metres out, touching down under the posts to give Mick Nanyn an easy conversion, much to the delight of the vociferous Haven travelling support . Then Rovers had a ten-minute spell during which they were the dominant side and scored two unconverted tries through Maun and Dooler .
Haven reasserted themselves with playmakers Aaron Lester and Leroy Joe dominating matters . On sixteen minutes scrum-half Steve Kirkbride ran onto a perfectly weighted and delayed Lester pass in front of the Rovers’ posts. And five minutes later Lester’s chip bounced perfectly in-goal for the onrushing Leroy Joe to touch down. Two more easy kicks for Nanyn Haven were 18-8 ahead
Rovers were not ready to lie down, however,as Josh Weeden, who went over on the left, . An excellent touchline conversion from Liam Finn made it 14-18 with all to play for.

But just before the half time hooter we grabbed a vital try as Craig Calvert, squeezed in the left corner, after taking a pass from David Seeds. Nanyn missed the kick, but it sent us in at half time with a handy 22-14 lead .

The second half resumed with the Haven playing down the slope and looking well set to dominate matters , however it was nip and tuck for almost 20 minutes with the scoreline remaining unchanged . However a Craig Chambers try on 3/4 time was the game breaker after which Havan ran away with it. A Rovers defensive foul-up on their line seven minutes later gave sub Gary Purdham an easy touch down just to the right of the Rovers’ posts. The defensive collapse continued when, two minutes later, the non-stop Haven full-back Broadbent latched onto a Kirkbride break to score under the posts. This, and the three easy Nanyn conversions, meant that Rovers were down and out at 14-40. Rovers finished with a late converted try to make the final score Haven 40 Rovers 20 but none of the 1200 gate could deny the best team had won .

Another great team performance and result on the back of last weeks win over Halifax , with the absence of the influential joel penny hardly making any differance to the Haven . Everyone played their part but it is difficult to ignore another big game from Leroy who seems to found his old form in recent weeks

Haven team
1. Gary Broadbent 2. Craig Calvert 3. David Seeds 4. Mick Nanyn 5. Wesley Wilson 6. Leroy Joe 7. Steven Kirkbride 8. Neil Baynes 9. Aaron Lester 10. David Fatialoafa 11. Craig Chambers 12. Brett McDermott 13. Carl Rudd

Subs 14. Howard Hill 15. Aaron Summers 16. Gary Purdham 17. Mark Cox

Well Oiled Machine
 Nanyn charge

Neil Baynes

 Coach McCormack should be well pleased. Hardly a foot wrong by a smooth running Haven side in the opening half. Halifax then had to play much of the contest with only 12 men after Bunyan was red carded for taking out a Haven player off the ball.

Among those have a sunny game were Rudd, Nanyn, Baynes , Sice and man of the Match Leroy Joe. In the second spell Halifax tried to stage a come back but even that went pear shaped when Carl Sice intercepted and ran the length of the Recre to score.

Tries came from Chambers, Calvert(2), Nanyn, Chambers, Joe, Penny, Sice(2) ...

Among those cheering Haven onwards was Labour candidate Jamie Reed.


 

 

 

Cup Result: Wigan 42 Haven 4 (Leroy Joe try)


Hornets Buzz over to France
and we meet Wigan at JJB

Haven landed a plum tie in the Challenge cup 4 th round draw with a money spinning tie against Wigan at the JJB stadium .

Wigan will be strong favourites to win this one and Haven stand to do well financially, but just as important it is another opportunity for the team to test themselves against Super league opponents. In the last two Cup campaigns they have played Leeds Rhinos and Warrington and though defeated they were far from disgraced in both ties .

Also Haven coach Steve McCormack will be looking forward to doing battle against his home Town club as will centre Mick Nanyn who though currently injured should be fit again for action by the time the tie is staged on either April 2/3 .

The full cup draw was
Doncaster v Town
Wigan v Haven
Toulouse v Wath Brow
Barrow v Sheffield
Featherstone v Bradford
Hunslet v London Broncos
UTC v HKR
Pia v Keighley
Halifax v Castleford
Huddersfield v St Helens
Leeds v Warrington
Batley v Leigh
Oldham v York
Widnes v Swinton
Rochdale v Salford
Wakefield v Hull

Oldham St Annes 30 - 62 Whitehaven

Haven led throughout this game and though the result was never in doubt the resilient Oldham St Annnes team continually caused the Haven defence problems and rattled up a lot more points than expected.
Haven opened the scoring in the 3rd Minute a strong run from David Fatialoafa saw him score under the black dot Joel Penny converted 6-nil to the Haven .

A few minutes later sustained pressure saw Gary Broadbent pounce on a kick through to score for Haven. Joel Penny converted Whitehaven 12 - Oldham St Annes 0

in the 12th Minute Howard Hill ran well to feed the supporting Craig Calvert who turned on the gas to score wide out Haven Joel Penny again converts
However the visitors were not deterred and on their first visit to the Haven line Kevin Fitzpatrick scores a converted try for Oldham St Annes Haven 18 - Oldham St Annes 6

Good backing up then saw Joel Penny score for Whitehaven and convert his own try
But once again Oldham St Annes hit back as lively hooker Andy Wallace scored a try from close in . It was converted. Haven 24 - Oldham St Annes 12

Haven extended their lead with Aaron Lester scoring Haven - Joel Penny converted and the half ended when some good handling by the Haven saw Craig Calvert run well from outside 20 metre line to score .Joel Penny converted from the touchline making the score interval score Whitehaven 36 - Oldham St Annes 12

Some poor defence from Haven saw Oldham score just 3 mins after the restart through Garret who converted his own try Haven 36 - Oldham St Annes 18

Joel Penny the supported well to score his 2nd try and then convert his own try .

Some good handling by the Haven created a opening wide on the left for Paul O'Neill to score for Haven.Penny missed his only conversion of the afternoon Haven 46 - Oldham St Annes 18

However once again the Haven defence looked suspect as full Fitzpatrick scores his second of the afternoon for the visitors the try was converted .Haven 46 - Oldham 24.

Oldham defence however looked as tired as the Haven scored further tries through Gary Broadbent his 2nd try of the afternoon

Craig Calvert showing great pace and determination to bag his 3rd try for Haven of the afternoon

Wesley Wilson then scored for Haven and with two goals from the boot of sub Steven Kirkbride
the score Haven stood at 62 - 24
However it was the tenacious amateurs who had the final say as ex Town centre Ken Kerr went over for a try which was converted Full time score Haven 62 - Haven 30

In the end a win which was never in doubt as Haven duly progress to Round four though the Oldham amateurs can be very pleased with their 5 try 30 point haul against a team that had the best defensive record in NL 1 in 2004 . Haven coach Steve McCormack may see it rather differently however .
The official Powergen Man of the Match went to Joel Penny who is getting better week on week , while the award for the best Oldham St Annes player went to livewire hooker Andy Wallace.
Tries from Fatialofa , Penny(2) Broadbent (2) Calvert (3) Lester ,O'Neill Wilson '
Conversions: seven kicked by Joel Penny Kirkbride (2)


Fielded: Gary Broadbent (Steve Kirkbride), Craig Calvert, Wesley Wilson, Howard Hill, Paul O'Neill, Leroy Joe, Joel Penny, Mark Cox (Aaron Summers), Aaron Lester, David Fatialofa, Brett McDermott, Spencer Miller, Carl Rudd (Carl Sice)
Subs: Steve Kirkbride, Paul Davidson, Carl Sice, Aaron Summers

One absentee was Jamie Seaton who left the club this week to take up a job Opportunity in London .


Des Byrne to take over at the Helm
WHITEHAVEN’S hugely-respected chairman Barry Richardson, stepped down this week (March 1 2005) because of work commitments, but he looked back on his three years as chairman with with pride and satisfaction . Read more from the club....

Seeds in at the kill
as Gatehead beaten

Seeds nudges through thunderHaven entertained Gateshead Thunder on a dry,cool but sunny afternoon and for the second week running turned in a workmanlike performance to run out easy winner , though in fairness to the visitors they look a much improved team this season.
Haven got off to the best possible starts and after only two minutes Leroy Joe fed Craig Calvert for the first score of the game , converted by Penny. Haven 6 Gateshead 0.
Haven kept up the early pressure and after 10 minutes Leroy Joe got his first try of the afternoon after David fatialofa had run a penalty close to the visitors line . Conversion missed by Penny Haven 10 Gateshead 0
Haven then extended their lead further as Leroy bagged his second - the result of some neat interpassing between him and David Seeds close to the line. Conversion by Penny.

As hinted Gateshead are a differant proposition this year, evidence their win at Barrow. They certainly were not afraid to move the ball, and could have scored a try through centre Barnes had he not dropped a pass after finding a hole in the Haven Defence. A few minutes later their enterprise was rewarded with a try to Liddell the result of some slick passing.They also added a penalty to make the score 16-6. But with half time approaching Leroy capped a fine first half display by putting a deft grubber into the in goal area for David Seeds to touch down to mark his 300th appearance with a try.
Haven 20 Gateshead 6

Haven started the second period in a positive fashion after 46 minutes John Lebbon scored at the corner. The conversion missed .We kept up the presure and with 54 minutes gone Howard Hill powered his way over for a try. Penny coverts this one and it was Haven 30 Gateshead 6
Gateshead showing resilience came back to score a good try through Brown which was converted

But it was Haven who finished the stronger with a try to John Lebbon showing great awareness and determination close to the line , Penny converts .

Then with 10 minutes remaining haven final try was set up by Summers who exhibited excellent ball handling skills to feed the supporting Paul Davidson to score wide out Penny converts.

The official man of the match Leroy Joe- his best display for some time, before a gate of 1412 .All in all not a bad days work though still lots of room for further improvement from a Haven squad that starting to put the Derewent Park nightmare behind them.
The game also saw three of Wath Brow Hornets’ most exciting youngsters from last year coming together in the pro ranks for the first time. Craig Calvert and Derry Eilbeck, who have already made their first-team mark, were joined by Carl Rudd, whose professional debut had been delayed by knee reconstruction surgery last summer.
Haven's long serving centre David Seeds made his landmark 300th appearance for the club in the game.
Seeds, the Recre’s record try-scorer with over 180 touch downs, joined the club in the 1993/94 season, from Kells amateurs. Coach Steve McCormack paid tribute to the 30-year-old’s massive contribution to the club. “David has a full-time job and a family, and to play 300 games when not a full-time player is a superb achievement ,He deserves all the accolades he gets. He never settles for second best and has given his all. “David trains hard and always puts his body on the line. He’s a great example.”
Tries from Calvert, Seeds, Lebbon, Davidson, Joe (2) and Hill.

Cup Draw
The draw will see Haven travel to take on Conference Premier league team Oldham St. Annes away. The venue and date are still to be confirmed .
Town are at home to Wigan St Judes while Barrow East Hull who Haven knocked out of this Competition last season .
Local amatuers Wath Brow take on Dewsbury Rams at Home

All Ties to be played week end of 12/13 March

Workington 28- Haven 8

Haven coach steve McCormack has apologised to the Haven fans following the teams defeat at Workington on Sunday describing it as" embarrasing" and "well below he standards the team has set itself"

And McCormack, who was still smarting from his first defeat by Town as Haven's coach, called on his squad to look at their mental attitudes after the new season got off to a disastrous start with Sunday's defeat by their local rivals.

The playing squad were called in for an extra training session last night following Haven's disappointing defeat , the players were made to analyse their performances from the Derwent Park clash to figure out exactly what went wrong.

McCormack said: "They don't turn into bad players over night but we were beaten in every area, both on and off the field on Sunday. Our mental attitudes were not right after the first 10 minutes and it is something we will put right"

But McCormack insists that his side must focus on themselves and not their opposition. .

"It is all about ourselves, making sure that we improve, and we have to work on what did not go right against Workington," he added.

On the injury front Haven captain Aaron Lester picked up a slight rib injury during the game but he will receive treatment this week and McCormack is confident he will be available for the Barrow clash at the Recre on Sunday, kick off 3pm.

Brett McDermottNo excuses, this was a very disappointing display by a Haven team who still seem to be dining out on the strength of last seasons successes ,as they lost to a Town team who quite simply wanted it much more than we did .

In a game that was played in a High wind the advantage of the elements was always going to be a factor , or so you thought. It was Haven , facing the gale who started better and took advantage of Towns mistakes to score a try through Steven Wood . The Haven should have gone further ahead when a clean Break by Walsh came to nothing when six points for the Haven looked certain .
After that it was Town who came into the game scoring two tries from dummy half , lack of concentration here from the haven markers , and a further try that owed much to good luck as a high bomb come back off the goal posts leaving the Haven defenders stranded . Two of these scores coming when town only had 12 men on the field after Sione was sin binned after catching Brett McDermott with a haymaker .With Town also landing four goals they led 20-4 at the half but would that be enough as they had to face the gale in the second stanza .

Haven resumed on a positive note and scored a good try through Wesley Wilson to pull the score back to 20-8. However this proved to be the limit of our ambitions as a Town Pack growing in self belief set out to master the conditions and a seemingly rudderless Haven six . Indeed it was the Homesters who finished the stronger with another try late on plus two goals , as a disappointing Haven outfit succumbed to their fate , the final score 28-8 .


There can no complaints from the Haven who turned in a poor display over the 80 minutes , against a Town team who wanted it more than we did. There is plenty for coach McCormack to work on in training this week and it will be interesting to see what changes he rings next week v Barrow ,especially at half back where the Penny /Kirkbride pairing clearly didn't work today
All in all a bad day at the Office and one the team is going to have to put behind then very quickly

No complaints from Haven who were beaten by the Better team on the day
Fielded for the pre season warm up: Broadbent, Wood, Walsh, Seeds, Calvert, Kirkbride, Joe, Penny, Davidson, Sice, McKinney, McDermott, Hill, Lester, Wilson, Seaton, Summers, Fatialofa, Cox.

New Haven Strip
Pictured are Jamie Seaton and two young lady supporters Clare and Sheryl modelling the new strips  on the Whitehaven harbourside .
WHITEHAVEN’S new home and away tops went on sale today (February 5 2005) - with a big demand expected from eager fans.

 

Chairman Barry Richardson said: “Our suppliers ISC supply most of the Australian NRL sides this is high-quality merchandise and they’ve done us an excellent deal.

“Our players receive a lot of leisurewear, which is also on sale to fans, and we have a lot more scope with our merchandise. Our new home design is based on Brisbane’s away strip and our away strip is based on Parramatta’s away strip.”

The new Haven merchandise, including replica jerseys, polo shirts and jackets, is available at the club’s Lonsdale Centre store in the town.

Welcome Return for Steve Kirkbride and ex Brow's Cox
Haven coach Steve McCormack is reasonably happy with the way things have gone during Havens three pre-season friendlies against Super league Opposition .

Havens first pre-season friendly was at Warrington where they lost 32-16 , the game was notable for the return of long term absentees Steven Kirkbride and Mark Cox both players showing up well in this game . At the end of the game Coach McCormack was perhaps happy than his opposite number Paul Cullen . "It was encouraging for a starter " said Steve .

That was followed by a match up with another Super League team as Leigh won 38-12 in a tough bruising encounter

The final against a Combined London Broncos/Leeds Rhinos team saw Haven produce a very encouraging display to win 38-22 before a gate of over over 1100 . Coach Steve McCormack view afterwards : "We showed some good touches and kept our shape for half an hour "

This was the first chance for Haven fans to see the New Signings Joel Penny and Jamie Summers in action and they were not disappointed "Joel Penny showed some good touches and Carl Sice, Craig Walsh and Mick Nanyn played some good stuff in the first-half. " concluded Steve McCormack

Then clubs has introduced a number of new faces during the winter and Steve MC has been pleased with their contributions during the pre season . Mark Deans the Wath Brow Hornets forward on a months trial went really well against London/Leeds "……. His workload was tremendous," McCormack said. "At the end of the four weeks, we’ll assess the pros and cons but he has proven he’s got a lot of ability.

The BARLA Great Britain star is eligible to play in Haven’s Northern Rail Cup opener at Workington Town on February 13, though McCormack will assess all his options before naming his squad for the big derby clash. Haven’s new teenage talents - stand-off Marc Bainbridge, forward Martin McMullen and winger Daniel Smith - also played off the bench against Leeds/London and McCormack was delighted they were not overawed by the occasion.

So as the season approaches the Haven looks in good shape , Aaron Lester and Aaron Summer picked up knocks during the pre season but should be available for the Town game while Ryan Campbell who was taken from the field at Leigh after taking a high shot should also be OK .

Top scorer Mick Nanyn is the clubs only injury concern at this moment , he cracked his knuckle in last weeks game and will be in plaster for up to six weeks
Penny at Broncos Bash


Leigh Friendly?

Leigh 38 12 Haven
This game may have been billed as a friendly but it certainly didn't work out that way as these two old rivals went head to head once again.

The tone was set early on when a high tackle from Leigh's Danny Halliwell -resulted in Ryan Campbell being stretchered from the field. Suprisingly ref Mick Dawber put the tackle on report and for the second game in succession v Haven, Halliwell could count himself lucky to stay on the park .

A penalty to Haven saw the Haven attack the Leigh line and Big Aaron Summers forced his way over for a try , Kirbride converted 6- nil to the Haven .

Leigh then asserted themselves, with new Aussie signings Leafa and Ferris impressing and by the half Leigh had established a comfortable 26-6 lead , though Havens cause was not helped by a heavy penalty count ref Mr Dawber giving some strange decisions at times .

The second half saw Leigh run in two further converted tries , with Haven's reply being a good John Lebbon try , brilliantly converted from wide out by Steven Kirkbride to leave the final score 38-12 to the Centurions .

Another tough pre season work out for the Haven , with good individual displays from Paul Davidson and Howard Hill . New boys Joel Penny and Jamie Seaton once again showed some good touches
Warrington Work Out
Sunday January 16
Haven gave the Wolves a tough work-out in this pre season friendly .Haven crossed for four tries and produced a spirited performance which suggests they will again be there or thereabouts come October's Grand Final.

Warrington led 16-8 at halftime as Clarke crossed twice - his second a superb 35-metre individual effort, and Ben Westwood also touched down with Lee Briers kicking two conversions.

Whitehaven's first-half points came from tries by Howard Hill and Paul O'Neil. The Wolves stretched their advantage to 32-8 after the interval as Clarke completed his hat-trick, and Phil Berry and Danny Lima also crossed, with Briers adding two further goals.

Whitehaven finished strongly with two tries in the final nine minutes as David Seeds and Steve Kirkbride touched down - but the Cumbrians failed to convert any of their tries.

A number of good individual displays, debut boy Derry Eilbeck hardly put a foot wrong,while both Mark Cox and Steven Kirkbride showed some good touches in their first competitive game in nearly 2 years .

Not the finished article by any means , still a lot of rough edges in the Haven play and Coach Steve Macs has work to do before things start in earnest, however he will take a lot of positives from this opener.
The players travelling down to Warrington on Sunday January 16 were: Broadbent, O'Neil, Seeds, Eilbeck, Calvery, Walsh, Kirkbride, Fatialofa, Lester, Cox, McDermott, Hill, Nanyn,
Subs; Sice, Seaton, Penny, Summers, McKinney, Miller and Campbell.

Club Latest
WHITEHAVEN RLFC have started 2005 by appointing a new full-time chief executive in Graeme Thompson, a move seen as essential to further the clubs Super league ambitions, the club must have a full-time chief executive in place to meet the requirements of Super League.

Graeme Thompson has been a Haven director for two years and gave up his role as deputy manager at the town’s B&M store to take on his fresh challenge with the club. He replaces part-time chief executive John Cox, who was unable to meet full-time requirements due to his broadcasting commitments with Radio Cumbria.

Chairman Barry Richardson said: “The club has grown so much over the last few years that it’s too big to run on a part-time basis. If we are to take the club forward, we need a full-time chief executive and we feel Graeme is the ideal person for the job. “John’s done a good job and I’m pleased he will still provide help in an official capacity.” John Cox will now act as a part-time consultant to the club.

Deano Departure
LONG-SERVING Whitehaven favourite Dean Vaughan has left the club at his own request.

Coach Steve McCormack was keen to retain the forward but he asked to leave the Recreation Ground. “He hasn’t been forced out,” McCormack said. “It was 100% Dean’s decision to find another club and it’s disappointing. “I’m sorry he’s decided to do that, but he’s got to do what’s right for himself. “You don’t like to lose good players but it happens. He wanted a guaranteed first-team spot every week and I can’t do that for any player. I don’t think many coaches would do that. “He started 16 games last year and played another six off the bench – and probably did the same the year before – which shows he was an important member of the squad.”

Vaughan joined the club in 1998 from Cumberland League Kells, after starring for Haven’s Academy side, and has served the team with distinction over recent years. He turns 27 next month and already it has been reported that dean is attrecting the interest of other National League sides. He is however under contract at Haven for next season and the club would be entitled to a fee if he joined another pro outfit.

New Team Picture
Full colour prints of the Grand Final team are now available for purchase/ framed or unframes from:

photographer Mike McKenzie

Haven sign a Rabbitoh from South Sydney

Whitehaven have signed a new prop from Australian club South Sydney.
He is 23 year old Aaron Summers. He is 6 ft. 4" and 17 stone (108kg). He played at North Sydney 2000-2003 and in reserve grade at Souths last season.
Aaron was recommended to the club via Steve Macs contacts in Sydney and he had offers from two SL clubs and two Div. One clubs but chose Whitehaven.
He has a British passport and so is not on quota. He will arrive on 29th. Dec. and make his debut in the friendly against Gateshead on Sunday, 8th. Jan. 2005.
Haven Coach from those Tough Early Years

All at Whitehaven RLFC were saddened to here the news of passing of RL legend Billy Little at the age of 93.

Though best known for his exploits as a player with Barrow in the 1930s his contribution to the Whitehaven club as coach was immense .

After starring as a scrum half for Barrow ,Cumberland and England Billy came to the Recreation Ground in 1950 as coach at a time when the fledgling Haven club were struggling to compete in the Professional Nothern RL . His tenure as coach signalled an era of progress and improvement as the Haven became feared and respected opponents especailly at the Recreation Ground . Indeed BIlly was responsible for signing quite a few of the players , who where later to form the backbone of Nev Emery's Team of 1957 that came so close to a Wembley appearance.

The records show that he played one game for the club , as loose forward against Featherstone in 1950 , but Billy's contribution to Whitehaven RLFC should never be forgotten .

The club thoughts and condolences are with Billy's Family at this time .

Mr Mayor says Well Done Haven!
Go to our Community news page

Season Tickets News
HAVEN fans have been buying 2005 season tickets in unprecendented numbers this week “I think we sold well over 100 in two days, after selling only 160 last season,” said chief executive John Cox.

“We took a heap of money on Monday, which was banked. It’s gone better than I had anticipated.”

The club has taken a unit in the Lonsdale Centre, Whitehaven, for two week, where tickets are on sale.

They are priced at £100 for the ground and £120 for the stand, with concessions for OAP’s and NUS card holders, halving the price. The season ticket allows you into all the home league matches for the up and coming season, which should start on February 13.

Under-16s will be able to purchase a ticket for just £25 that will allow them in to every home and away game, including the Northern Rail Cup matches. The club sold over half as many season tickets in two days this week, as they did all of last year. More club merchandise will also be available from the unit, including scarves and other branded goods.

If the unit is successful then the club may keep the shop open for longer. “We are just trying it out at the moment,” said Haven chief executive John Cox. “If it is a success then we will look at extending the stay for longer.”

New Haven Strip for 2005

Whitehaven RLFC are adopting a new lstyle playing kit for the 2005 season .The club have looked to Australia’s NRL for inspiration in their new design, which is again predominantly white.
2005 strip

Haven have switched suppliers for the 2005 season and will be using ICS, who manufacture the majority of the NRL teams’ kits Down Under.

The design is different from last year but still features the traditional blue and gold colour theme of their shirts and chocolate on their white socks.

Haven hope to have the kit ready for sale by the middle of this month from Bargain Madness, in Whitehaven and the club shop at the Recreation ground and online here with Farrell Sports. The away shirt will be completely different from last season. It will be mainly yellow with blue flashes, similar to the Australia’s Paramatta Eels. Haven spokesman Graham Thompson said: “We decided it was time for a change and we hope to have it on the shelves in time for Christmas.”

 

Team Building Continues

Walshy seen against Leigh in 2003BOTH record-breaker Mick Nanyn and Craig Walsh have agreed to sign up to the task of making Haven a Superleague side in the coming season. The club has also signed talented local youngster Martin McMullen back from Warrington. McMullen, 17, a former Hensingham junior, signed for Warrington a year ago but has now decided to come back to his home town club.

Steve McCormack told the Whitehaven News: “Martin has been in a Super League environment for the last 12 months but has decided to come back nearer to home.

“He is a quality player who is versatile to play in the back row or centre and we are delighted to have him on board. I have been down to watch him play and all the reports we have had say he is an outstanding talent. We have signed him along with other young players like Daniel Smith and Marc Bainbridge to look to the future.”

WHITEHAVEN have also signed Aussie cross-code star Joel Penny to replace the outstanding Sam Obst. The ex-South Sydney and Cronulla scrum-half, who has recently played for top RU outfit New South Wales Warritahs, has penned a one-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months.

 


We don't want to Lose You!
But when Super League calls then Haven reluctantly have to let one of their most dynamic players, Sam Obst, go to Wakefield....but he will be well remembered for his tireless play for Haven.

 

 

 






The Year of Champions ....2004

A Year of Highs and a few Lows (2003)
Action from the early 2003 season....

Plus See some of the highlights of a great year......2002

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