[D]espite two end of season’s league losses to their nearest rivals, Appleby and Keswick, Pirelli have been crowned champions of the Westmorland League, two points clear of Keswick and ten ahead of Appleby and still with a game to play. It’s been an exceptional season for the Carlisle side who were only promoted last year, with a good run in the Cumberland Cup to the Semi Finals, where they lost out to Workington Reds on penalties, three of their strikers are in the Division’s Top Ten for the season, with Dean Mallison in joint top spot on 19 goals, Scott Priest in third place with 16 and Jordan Irving seventh with 14, and of course, they won the League title.
At the weekend Pirelli were at Keswick for what should have been the final match of their season, and in a match which meant nothing to the two teams’ respective team positions. And Keswick won this with a comfy 5-2 victory. Keswick opened the scoring with a Richard Bannister headed goal, and Jamie Little then made it 2-0 from the penalty spot, but Pirelli grabbed a goal back just before half time with Andy Lewis sliding in to make it 2-1. Graham Robley equalised for Pirelli at the beginning of the second half, and Keswick began to regret their missed chances, but then put three more past the visitors with a second headed goal from Bannister and goals for skipper Ste Hilton and Alfie West.
Elsewhere in Division One, Ibis, drew 3-3 with Wetheriggs United, leaving Wetheriggs in fifth place after a good end of season run, with their goals on the night from Alex Johnson, Jimmy Smith and Andy Mills. The Ibis goals were from Josh Ford and a brace from Dan Jones. Kendal Utd drew 2-2 with Appleby, and in the battle of the two basement teams, Ambleside United Amateur Football Club lost out 2-4 to Kendal County Reserves.
In Division Two, Castletown United beat Carleton Banks 4-2 with two goals from Lamin Cham and one each from Sam Oliver and Ryan Gate enough to see off the Soccermoos, and putting Castletown back into fourth spot. Ullswater United lost 1-4 to Keswick Reserves, with Keswick’s goals from Jake Sampson and a Josh Hilton hat trick, with Keswick now secure in ninth spot, and looking at the possibility of even reaching sixth with two games left to play at home against Braithwaite and Dent. In the final Division two match, Wetheriggs United Reserves were hammered 1-9 by Division two champions Endmoor KGR. KGR’s goal scorers were Mathew Wilson (4), Adam Soulby (2) and one each for Jordan Kenny, Alistair Wilson and Stefan Otway. Wethriggs sole goal came from Joe Henderson.
There was just one match in Division Three, and Sedbergh Wanderers Reserves drew 2-2 with Endmoor KGR Reserves, with Sedbergh finishing in fifth with their goals from Dan McCandlish and Ben Ferguson, and Endmoor sixth, with goals on the night from Callum Marshall and Max Sizer, and the teams finish the season separated by just one point.
In the Smurfit Kappa Cumberland County League it was the Final of the Benevolent Trophy, with Division One’s Bransty Rangers up against Premier Division side Silloth AFC. Silloth won this 1-0 with the sole goal for the Seagulls at the Falcon Ground in Egremont coming from Andrew Trestianu. Bransty are back in cup action next Saturday when they take on Workington Athletic in the final of the Ken Glover Memorial Shield.
In the only other match on the West coast, Divisional Cup winners Borough rounded off a great end of season run to finish fourth in the League with a 5-0 win over Whitehaven Miners Reserves, who end the season propping up the Cumberland County table.
