[I]n yet another weekend of Cumbrian football badly hit by the weather, with waterlogged pitches, frozen pitches and snow covered pitches all playing a part in a reduced programme, three of the Westmorland FA Senior Challenge Cup Quarter Finals did go ahead.
Westmorland League Division One leaders Keswick FC always knew that a visit to Kendal County would be a battle, but they held the team from the senior West Lancs League Division One to a 1-1 scoreline at the end of 90 minutes and to a 2-2 scoreline after extra time, with the visitor’s manager Eddie Thomson saying it was Keswick’s best performance of the season. The Keswick goals came from Karl Southern and Jamie Little and Kendal’s from Brody Wallace Moffat and Cameron Stewart.
The tie was decided on penalties, and Kendal go through, winning 5-4 from the spot. Appleby had a much easier ride, beating fellow Westmorland League Division One side Ambleside United 0-6 away. Bobby Atkinson scored a brace, and there were goals for Jack Overs, Ben Jackson and James Addison, and an Ambleside own goal.
Another West Lancs League Division One side Milnthorpe Corinthians had a convincing 4-1 win over Castletown United, but great credit to Castletown who play their football in the Westmorland League Division Two for getting this far in the Cup, and taking on a team from the senior league, and putting up a good battle, with a consolation goal from Ewan Willacy.
Corinthians’ goals were a pair each for Zach Clark and Mike Rushden. The fourth quarter final between Shap and Endmoor KGR was postponed with Shap’s pitch a winter wonderland of snow, as was the last Quarter Final in the Westmorland FA Junior Cup, with Kendal United Reserves game with Keswick Reserves also off.
In the James Cropper Westmorland League there was just one surviving Division One match, and Kirkoswald had a convincing 6-0 win at home to beat Kendal County Reserves to go third in the table, with the goals from a Nicholas Jake Holden hat trick, Rob Whitton, Luke Brown and Ryan Bell. The games at Penrith Reserves (vs Ibis) and Windermere SC (vs Wetheriggs United) were weather casualties.
In Division Two, Appleby Reserves suffered a 0-3 home loss to Braithwaite, and the three points lifted BFC off the bottom of the Division. And Eden Thistle had a useful 3-1 win over Windermere SC Reserves. Thistle stay fifth but Windermere drop into the bottom place. League games at Carleton Banks (vs Staveley United) and Greystoke (vs AFC Carlisle) were called off.
In Division Three, just a couple of matches survived, but they were crackers! Endmoor KGR Reserves had a 5-3 win over Penrith AFC Academy on an extremely muddy pitch in a real game of two halves.
Penrith went two up in the first half with goals from Greg Hall and Hayden Wilson. On 52 minutes it was Wilson again after he latched onto a clearance and finished expertly. 0-3 to Academy who continued to dominate and were awarded a penalty on 62 minutes, but Hall’s strike was saved. And then the pendulum swung, and the game changed. On 70 minutes Endmoor got a goal back after some sloppy Academy defending. 5 minutes later Endmoor were awarded a spot kick and scored, and just 2 minutes later the home side were level.
With 10 minutes to go this game could have gone either way but Endmoor went ahead from a deflected shot which gave Academy’s goalie Waugh no chance in goal, and the home side then scored again late on to make the final score 5-3 Endmoor. The KGR goals were from Alec Hague (2), Chris Bell, Sam Wilson and Darren Huck.
Lunesdale Utd picked up a point with a 2-2 draw against the in form Ibis Reserves. LUFC opened the scoring on ten minutes with a Sean Boustead goal, and then Ibis equalised and went ahead with two Ibis goals from Dan Jones and Josh Ford. Ibis kept the lead until the 72nd minute when a quickly taken free kick by James Mandle found the in form Brandon Brett whose deft flick over the advancing keeper gave Lunesdale a point.
The three scheduled Peter Daws Memorial Shield matches were all cancelled (Burneside v Kirkby Stephen, Penrith Royal v Langwathby Utd and Penrith Saints v Kirkoswald Reserves) as was the league match between Sedbergh Wanderers Reserves and Ambleside Utd Reserves.
