Workington Town 24 Whitehaven 28: Whitehaven took the honours in this do-or-die derby clash with Workington Town at the Blackpool Summer Bash.

It was certainly an end-to-end match but at the close of play it was Whitehaven’s will to win that drove them over the finish line.

Both sides looked lacklustre at times, with defensive frailties that their opponents were all too willing to expose.

Jarrod Sammut took the official Man of the Match award and he certainly stood out with his hat-trick of individual tries.

And there were moments from other Town players but the team performance was lacking in comparison to previous weeks.

Dion Aiye marshalled the Haven troops well and their pack proved uncompromising at times, with Louis Jouffret also showing up well in the early stages.

Haven had the better of the opening exchanges as they forced a number of goal-line drop-outs.

Grant Gore and Aiye combined to try and put Haven newcomer Ugo Perez in but Town cancelled out the attack.

But it was no surprise that Whitehaven were the first on the try sheet as Gore put Dave Allen in to touch down, with Jouffret adding the extras.

Town struck back as Sammut got the first of his three tries. He put a neat little chip kick through and followed it up to score but Carl Forber’s conversion struck the uprights and bounced back.

Haven were immediately back on the attack as they switched play wide out and Ryan Ince and Chris Taylor combined to send the latter in for a try, that Jouffret converted to edge Haven out to 12-4.

Town suffered a setback when free-scoring winger Chris Murphy was forced to leave the field through injury but they did their best to hang on to the game.

It was hooker Callum Phillips who gave them the boost they needed when he stretched out to score, with the try being given after a visit to the video referee.

Forber was on target with the extras and Town were back to within two points of their rivals.

But, from the kick off, a high tackle from Town gave Haven the field position they needed and they were over again, with Jesse Joe Parker getting the ball down wide out and Jouffret slotting over the touchline goal.

Parker went from hero to villain when he knocked on from the kick off and allowed Town to put the pressure back on.

Their first attempt came to nothing but then Sammut produced another little piece of brilliance. He chipped through the Haven defence and dodged through to collect it and touch down. Forber converted and Haven now only held a slender 18-16 lead.

From the kick off Town allowed the ball to bounce in the in-goal area and it went out of play forcing another drop out.

Then Haven were awarded a penalty and Jouffret made no mistake with the goal to edge his side further ahead.

And they made it 22-16 by half-time when they were awarded three penalties in a row to move upfield and then Jouffret took another successful attempt at goal.

Haven came out fired up in the second half and they attacked once more but luckily for Town, as they spread it wide, the final pass to Parker went astray. A good kick from Dion Aiye then produced an equally good catch from Jack Murphy and he got Town out of the danger area.

Tom Walker went close for Town but a knock on near the line put a halt to their efforts and Haven went down to the opposite end of the field and made them pay.

Craig Calvert was on the end of a crossfield move from Haven and he scored in the corner but the kick was missed.

Town lifted their fans’ spirits when Declan Hulme responded with a try in the opposite corner.

But again the kick was not on target and there were still six points between the two sides.

Parker thought he had edged Haven further ahead when he got onto the end of a pass from Aiye to stroll over but the referee was on hand and adjudged the ball to have gone forward.

Whitehaven knocked on in front of their own posts to give Town a good attacking position but they could not find a way through the defence.

And it was Haven who edged further ahead when Jouffret landed yet another penalty.

Town were desperately trying to get a foothold back in the match and Sammut provided that when he went over for his hat-trick to the delight of the travelling fans.

He lined up his own conversion but it was not on target, on a day where the kicking game could have made the difference.

Perry Whiteley made a couple of great takes under the high ball to keep Town in contention and Grant Gore was held up inches short of the line as both sides fought to take control.

But at the end of the day it was Whitehaven who shaded the encounter and took the spoils, leaving Workington looking at an ever-widening gap at the bottom of the Championship.

Workington Town: J Murphy, C Murphy, Whiteley, Mossop, Hulme, Forber, Sammut, Gordon, C Phillips, Shackley, B Phillips, Gee, McAvoy. Subs (all used): Doran, Olstrom, Walker, Verlinden

Tries: Sammut, 3, C Phillips, Hulme; Goals: Forber 2

Whitehaven: Jouffret, Ince, Taylor, Parker, Calvert, Aiye, Gore, Duffy, Coyle, Riley, Allen, Perez, Davies. Subs (all used): Newton, Walker, Chapelhow, Holliday

Tries: Allen, Taylor, Parker, Calvert; Goals: Jouffret 6

Referee: Mike Woodhead