PERHAPS the one moment during this game which summed up what Barrow Raiders are going through at present was in the second half when Ryan Burroughs, having done the hard work in slicing through the Dewsbury Rams defence, dropped the ball over the try-line.

No-one should doubt the effort is not there - anyone who is at training on a Tuesday or Thursday evening will have seen for themselves how hard this squad work. Yet it is not happening for Raiders in matches.

And that, in turn, is leading to frustration; frustration which causes a normally head-down, nose-to-the-grindstone type like Ryan Duffy to be sin-binned for speaking out of turn to the referee and unimpeachable captain Martin Aspinwall to pick up a yellow card late on for a high tackle.

That was just what happened in yesterday’s Betfred Championship Shield Super Eights game at Dewsbury, where the visitors went down 32-12.

One positive for the Raiders was the return of Tom Walker after a long spell away for work and he put in a typical robust showing at prop.

But the rugby league gods giveth and the rugby league gods taketh away, and both Alec Susino and Arnaud Bartes were forced off in the game with knee and head injuries respectively

Bartes suffered that blow due to a high tackle from Rams’ Jode Sherrife, who was sin-binned as a result. But Barrow could not take advantage even when the hosts were down to 12 men.

The Raiders could well have been in front after four minutes though, only for Georgy Gambaro to have a try chalked off for Burroughs taking out Rams wide-man Dale Morton in the air.

As it was, Dewsbury took the lead eights minutes later when an attack from a goal-line drop-out was finished by Rob Worrincy.

It took until 31 minutes for the Rams to score again as Barrow matched them. But another drop-out led to Brad Delaney getting a try - taking a one-handed offload from James Glover - and Paul Sykes kicking the first of four conversions.

Barrow responded immediately by setting up Gambaro, with Jamie Dallimore converting, but Dewsbury went back in front just before half time when Lucas Walshaw rumbled over.

When play resumed, Dewsbury forced a third drop-out straight from the restart and this time Aaron Brown finished, followed swiftly by Adam Ryder charging away for a try after a break from Sykes.

Nathan Mossop did give Barrow a glimmer of hope after going over for a converted score from close range, but Duffy’s yellow card and Ryder’s third killed any chance of a comeback.

Dewsbury Rams: Josh Gudzek; Rob Worrincy, James Glover, Adam Ryder, Dale Morton; Paul Sykes, Brad Delaney; Jode Sheriffe, Robbie Ward, Kyle Trout, Lucas Walshaw, Michael Knowles, Aaron Brown. Interchange: Dom Speakman, Toby Richardson, Daniel Iginedion, Jack Teanby.

Barrow Raiders: Ryan Fieldhouse; Ryan Burroughs, Tom Loxam, Georgy Gambaro, Brett Carter; Jamie Dallimore, Lewis Charnock; Ryan Duffy, Dean Parata, Arnaud Bartes, Alec Susino, Bradd Crellin, Martin Aspinwall. Interchange: Nathan Mossop, Saloty Mendy, Dan Toal, Tom Walker.

Referee: Liam Staveley.

Sin-bin: Dewsbury Rams – Jode Sherrife (high tackle, 57); Barrow Raiders – Ryan Duffy (dissent, 67), Martin Aspinwall (high tackle, 80).

Attendance: 807.

Playback: 12 – Worrincy try (4-0); 31 – Delaney try, Sykes conv (10-0); 33 – Gambaro try, Dallimore conv (10-6); 38 – Walshaw try, Sykes conv (16-6); 42 – Brown try, Sykes conv (22-6); 45 – Ryder try, Sykes conv (28-6); 55 – Mossop try, Dallimore conv (28-12); 70 – Ryder try (32-12).

Raiders star man: Bradd Crellin.