A DAMP day and slippery surface saw the return of second-placed BAE Barrow and it was obvious this was a far different team to the one beaten 51-0 in the Vase.

Kirkby kicked off and a deliberately low kick bounced off a Barrow player straight back into the home side's arms. The ball was recycled and Rawson's swift pass to Richard Green saw him slice through the defence to score under the posts. Hind converted and Kirkby had one of their quickest leads of the season.

Exchanges then became stop-start with penalties to either side, although play was mainly in the Barrow half.

Kirkby had two anxious moments when first Horsfall and then Green were injured, but both were able to continue after treatment, though Green never fully recovered.

Kirkby at last got a penalty in kickable range and the reliable Hind duly converted and soon after the whistle went for half time.

Kirkby were soon back in the opposition half after the interval but there was another stoppage when referee Paul Harmon twisted his ankle After considerable treatment he resumed.

Play was now entirely in Barrow territory and their only tactic seemed to be to driving off the base of the scrum or chasing long kicks into the Kirkby half, which Mallaband and Squires duly ran back at them.

Unfortunately nothing seemed to go right for Kirkby for a spell with dropped passes coming at the crucial moment.

Storey tried his best to break the deadlock with a drop goal but this went well wide and Mallaband set up Squires for a long run, but the defence got across.

Kirkby, in fact, went close to scoring many times, mauling the ball over the line but not getting the touchdown and spreading the ball across the field, but it seemed not to be the day for flowing rugby.

When Barrow were penalised for holding, Kirkby at last created a good move with the ball passing through many hands until Mallaband came up from full back to go over in the corner. From wide out the conversion failed, but at 15-0 it looked as if the match was won.

While Kirkby were without Wylder, Barton and Hadwin, their replacements in Turner, Rawson and Horsfall all played extremely well and though the visitors' pack was heavier, the Kirkby eight were well on top.

In the last quarter the weather deteriorated with cold drizzle and increasing wind and probably because of the conditions there was only one further score, a penalty from Hind to make the final score 18-0.

With Whitehaven defeating Moresby, this result puts Kirkby into second position.