The two newly promoted sides to the Betfred Championship, neither if whom having had the best of starts to their 2020 season, met at the Recreation Ground in Whitehaven for a four-pointer at the wrong end of the table as Oldham were the visitors.

Both sides have started the season with two losses but knew a win would lift them towards the middle of the early season table, a loss though would leave either side anchored to the bottom moving into round four.

It took just under four minutes Danny Bridge kick into the hands of Dave Hewitt who passed to Gareth Owen to score with a lunge for the line. Dan Abram added the two points for a 6-0 lead to the visitors.

A twenty-fourth minute Hewitt penalty extended the lead but it had been a real arm wrestle between two workmanlike sides.

A scoot from dummy half from Whitehaven’s Dion Aiye registered the first points of the second half to get his side right back in the game. Jake Moore was unable to add the conversion, six minutes on the second half clock and the score was 4-8.

On fifty-six minutes Sam Forrester was sin-binned for a trip on Dan Abram and Abram was given a penalty try by referee Mannifield. Abram himself added the extras to give Oldham a 14-4 lead.

The twelve men hit back was Aiye got his second of the night after fast hands allowed him to go through a gap in the Oldham defence. Moore was able to convert the try for 10-14 with just under twenty minutes left.

Another Abram penalty gave Oldham a 16-10 lead on sixty-five, Whitehaven paying the price for indiscipline.

On sixty-seven Whitehaven scored their third try when Mossop dribbled forward a loose ball to get his hand on it to ground. James Newton’s conversion hit the uprights and bounced out, the home side still two points adrift.

There was no doubting the effort from both sides in a full blooded encounter in perishing Cumbrian conditions. It was Oldham who grabbed the points by a two point winning margin to register their first points of the 2020 season and climb the table into ninth spot.

Whitehaven: Forrester (SB on 56), Thompson, Mossop (T), Parker, Carter, Dixon, Phillips, Shackley, Newton, Coward, Phillips, Gillam, Wilkinson. Subs: Aiye (2T), Kelly. Walker, Moore (G).

Oldham: Abram (T, 2G), Kay, Croft, Leeming, Johnson, Charnock, Hewitt (G), Joy, Owen, Spencer, Langtree, Bridge (T), Bent.  Subs: Wilkinson, Beckett, Fletcher, Gwaze.

Referee: Michael Mannifield.

Half-Time: 0-8.

Full-Time: 14-16.

Attendance: .