EVA Izumi left York Valkyrie boss Lindsay Anfield impressed after a first run out in the centres proved fruitful at Barrow Raiders on Saturday.

The 20-year-old did not look out of place as a much-changed Valkyrie ran out 28-8 victors at Craven Park, continuing their unbeaten start to the defence of their Betfred Women’s Super League title.

Winger Emma Kershaw was the standout, opening the scoring with 12 minutes played before helping herself to a five-minute hat-trick as the Raiders’ floodgates well and truly opened 10 minutes before half-time.

Barrow went on to see the better of the second half in a performance likely enough to beat several Women’s Super League sides, with Emma Hutchinson bringing them onto the board late on, but the Valkyrie’s damage proved too great to overcome.

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Izumi had started both of York’s Betfred Women’s Challenge Cup group stage fixtures against Sheffield Eagles and Featherstone Rovers on the wing, but was forced into a position change, with last weekend’s match-winner Carrie Roberts unavailable for the long trip to Cumbria.

But she twice played in Kershaw on the overlap – her first assist from a sublime delayed pass to release the winger on the overlap after she had drawn Barrow’s right-edge defenders infield.

With Izumi keen for game time, Anfield was delighted by what she saw of the youngster before she was forced off with an ankle injury in the second half.

“Carrie just wasn’t available,” Anfield explained to The Press of Izumi’s inclusion. “Eva, she was desperate for some game time, and I think she went really well.

“She set up a fair few tries in the first half, before she unfortunately went off injured.

“But she’s a really good promising talent. She just needs more game time to be able to learn the game.

“It was important to give Emma more game time on the wing, so she went in there. Eva, after a couple of times, she jammed in, and she understood that she had to play square and feed Emma.

“She did it really well as a young kid.”