The League 1 winners’ trophy was at the Recreation Ground but stayed in Ralph Rimmer’s car.

Whitehaven played their part in demolishing West Wales but Oldham’s win at Coventry means it will have to go to the last week and the RFL chief executive will be at Whitehaven’s final game on Saturday.

Barring a major shock, Haven can collect the silverware with one more win against the Bears.

West Wales hadn’t been helped by the fact that they arrived only 45 minutes before kick-off and brought only 15 players.

From the kick-off the visitors spilled it behind the dead-ball line and forced to drop-out did well to hold out Whitehaven’s first set of six.

They defended the second set, too, and when they put in a prolonged attack themselves forced a drop-out when Jordan Burns had to palm behind a little kick through.

But it was Whitehaven who got the first score on the board when Dion Aiye jinked his way through three defenders after 10 minutes, before slipping the ball to Sam Forrester who scored by the posts. Jake Moore converted.

Whitehaven thought they had a second try five minutes later but after Jordan Burns had sliced through referee Craig Smith awarded the Welsh side a penalty for obstruction.

But the second try wasn’t long in coming. It had its origin in the Whitehaven half with a burst from Moore, carried on by James Newton and finished off from 40 yards by Forrester again. Moore converted.

Whitehaven were now starting to dominate and the early West Wales resistance was starting to crumble. This time Burns’ fine solo effort was allowed to stand as he cut through from 20 yards to score an unconverted try.

On the half hour Aiye, who had been a most influential player on the field, broke again and threw the ball back inside for Newton to go in under the posts. Moore converted.

Two minutes later it was Newton who turned provider with a nice little burst into space and as he was being closed down by the last defender slipped the ball to Callum Phillips. He raced unchallenged 30 yards to dive over under the posts. Moore converted.

West Wales had hardly threatened the Whitehaven half since their opening attack when they had gone close, but they had a chance to create something after Dave Thompson couldn’t hold a high bomb from Tyler Hunt.

But when they were almost on the Haven line from the subsequent set the final ball was intercepted by Thompson who more than made up for his handling error by going 90 yards to score. Moore converted.

There was joy for West Wale, though, just before the break when the industrious Steve Parry weaved his way through to score by the posts. Phil Cowburn converted for a 34-6 half-time deficit.

It didn’t take long for Whitehaven to score on the re-start. They moved the ball from half-way with Jessie Joe Parker giving Andrew Bulman a running chance and he held-off a tackle to go in for his first try. This time Conor Holliday added the extras.

They were nearly in again right away but Moore couldn’t hold Forrester’s pass with the line beckoning and then it was Parker who couldn’t cling on when another opportunity presented itself wide out.

Then it was young Jake Bradley who broke through to present Forrester with his hat-trick try under the posts and Moore converted on 52 minutes.

The 50 came up on 63 minutes when Burns danced through for a try wide out on the right after more persistent Haven pressure.

Bulman got on the scoresheet again four minutes later when he intercepted a low pass and went in from 30 yards and Moore added the extras. Moore was next to cross two minutes later, taking a short pass from Aiye after Haven had kept the ball moving to the left. He went back to put over the conversion.

It was a procession now and a question of how many and on 76 minutes Kris Coward crashed over, taking three men with him. Moore converted.

In the last minute Haven scored again. From a short-range scrum they moved the ball and Chris Taylor linked with Callum Phillips to give Thompson a walk-in. Moore converted.