Whitehaven 16, Bradford Bulls 32

QUITE simply, this was not the kind of performance that will carry the Bulls to promotion via the Super Eights.

It was niggly, error-strewn and downright ugly at times but it was a win nonetheless.

Yet when Jimmy Lowes and performance analyst Lance Du'Lac go through the video of the match on video, it will be something of a horror show.

Certainly in terms of handling errors, this was the kind of display that gives coaches nightmares.

Lowes had warned that Whitehaven would prove tough opposition in deepest, darkest Cumbria.

He was right – but the Bulls were their own worst enemies at times as they coughed up possession and struggled badly to complete their sets.

Bradford must have dropped the ball close to the hosts' line on at least a handful of occasions, although in the end it did not matter.

After Whitehaven had come back from 16-0 down to level the scores at 16-16 in the second half, the game could have gone either way.

Thankfully for Lowes, it went the way of his side as Danny Addy collected Adam O'Brien's pass to plunge over the line before Danny Williams finished twice in clinical fashion late on.

There was character in that and no shortage of quality either as the Bulls finally put their part-time hosts to bed.

There was a minute's silence before kick-off to honour the memory of Cougars star Danny Jones following his tragic passing seven days earlier.

Bulls chairman Marc Green and managing director Steve Ferres collected cash for the Danny Jones Fund in buckets at yesterday's match.

It was the first league meeting between the sides since 1994 and it is fair to say that not much has changed in Whitehaven since then.

Driving into the west Cumbrian town, it felt like the land that time forgot – but they love their rugby league in these parts.

Whitehaven prop Jonny Walker, a Bradford lad who is currently on loan from Leigh, caught O'Brien with a nasty late challenge on halfway which left the Bulls hooker poleaxed.

It set the tone for Whitehaven's physical approach but there was more to their game than that, with young second-rower Tyla Hepi – son of former Hull FC star Brad Hepi – outstanding for the hosts.

Referee Warren Turley took no action against Walker, which would not be the last dubious call he would make during the game.

The Bulls could not make the subsequent penalty count either as Whitehaven survived and continued to defend aggressively.

Still, they continued to probe as O'Brien began to see plenty of the ball and subsequently supplied Addy and Lee Gaskell.

Williams almost caught a high kick from Gaskell in the left corner but, despite a number of handling errors, the Bulls built a 16-point lead.

Craig Calvert and Hepi went close for Whitehaven before the Bulls opened the scoring midway through the first half.

After pinning the hosts back towards their line, a neat handling sequence saw O'Brien, Gaskell and Ryan Shaw combine to find Purtell in the left corner.

The Australian still had work to do but his strength took him over the line and Shaw, having been handed kicking duties ahead of Addy, added the extras.

None of this was enough to impress the vociferous home crowd, as one local screamed "Call yourselves full-time professionals!" to the visiting team.

Still, the Bulls soon grabbed a second try when Gaskell drove through the heart of the Whitehaven defence and found Williams, who in turn offloaded the ball back to the Bulls play-maker.

Gaskell then showed outstanding intelligence to throw an exquisite long pass out to Purtell, who was unmarked inside the left channel and had an easy task to cross the line.

Shaw failed to convert – and there was plenty of controversy in the Bulls' third try as Gaskell strode forward to support a suspiciously-looking forward pass from Jay Pitts.

Gaskell's pace and power took him clear from 30 metres out and Shaw's second goal made it 16-0.

The response from Whitehaven was quite remarkable. They tackled as if their lives depended on it and soon had Lowes' players rattled.

Six minutes before the break, their pressure told when second-rower Scott McAvoy finished off from close range and then, on the stroke of half-time, they had a second try.

This time, centre Connor Holliday powered over after some neat handling from Grant Gore and McAvoy.

Ed Chamberlain, who converted the first score, saw his second attempt miss the target as the Bulls went in at the break with a slender 16-10 lead.

Whitehaven v Bulls match pictures

Self-belief, energy and a collective desire surged through the veins of the Cumbrians.

The tensions which had simmered for much of the first half spilled over on the hooter when Etu Uaisele clashed with Whitehaven full back Richard Lepori.

The pair had to be pulled apart as Turley, who was hammered by the home fans at times, gave Uaisele a stern lecture but nothing more.

Lowes would have doubtless given his men the hairdryer treatment during the interval but it was Whitehaven who began the second half with more purpose.

Nine minutes after the restart, they made their field position pay when replacement hooker James Newton burrowed over the line from close range and Chamberlain's conversion levelled the scores.

Serious humiliation beckoned for the Bulls and tempers flared again soon after as Hepi and Pitts were sin-binned for trading punches.

Pitts could not quite believe he had been shown a yellow card but the incident summed up the home team's desire and physical approach.

Quite simply, they were out to rough the Bulls up and it worked, but there was artistry in their play too as Hepi continued to be prominent.

Going toe to toe with a full-time team full of former Super League players cannot be done on spirit alone.

Whitehaven had a game-plan and they stuck to it rigidly as the Bulls were left frustrated by their inability to make the ball stick.

Purtell failed to find Williams on the left flank in a promising position and then Adam Henry knocked on under no pressure from Shaw's pass.

It was awful to watch but, with the scores tied at 16-16, the Bulls edged ahead with 15 minutes remaining when Addy profited from O'Brien's clever pass to crash over from close range.

Addy celebrated with gusto and then Williams finished Whitehaven off with two simple finishes in the last ten minutes.

In the 72nd, he collected an exquisite long pass from Gaskell to go over in the left corner as Whitehaven began to tire.

Then with two minutes remaining, Sidlow, Gaskell and Purtell combined to send Williams over again in the same spot and Shaw added his fourth goal.

Attendance: 1,338