Carlisle opened their new Regional Two North campaign with a 17-10 defeat at South Shields Westoe.
The quick summary for coach George Graham to consider were there are lessons to learn, much to improve on, but certainly potential to work with for the rest of the season.
The defence was outstanding especially when briefly down to 12 men, and the new league debutants, Ollie Burns, Alfie Batty, Freddie Rawling, Jamie Blakely and Nat Mossop didn’t look out of place at all.
Carlisle started brightly with the wind at their backs, and played most of the first ten minutes in the Westoe half, without making the 22.
After an initial scare at the first scrum it was business as usual with Carlisle having a significant advantage at the set piece.
However, they failed to capitalise on the advantage and Westoe gradually pushed Carlisle back into their own half where some firm defending kept the home side at bay.
With quarter of an hour gone, an interception by scrum half Vince Lung, saw him break away and a deft offload gave winger Burns a chance to light the afterburners down the left touchline, only to be bustled out of play five metres short.
Westoe defended the line-out well and gradually worked their way back into the game with Carlisle having to defend ferociously at times to keep them at bay.
The game ebbed and flowed with neither side making much inroad into either opposition 22, until a few minutes before the end of the first half.
An infringement at the breakdown gave fly half Jake Whittaker the chance to stroke the ball between the posts for a three-point lead.
From the restart Westoe controversially secured possession and quickly moved the ball up field with Carlisle being slow to regroup.
A penalty infringement by the visitors ten metres out resulted in a yellow card for Stu Graham. Quickly taken, a trick play blind-sided the Carlisle defence to give Westoe an easy try under the posts converted for a 7-3 lead at half time.
Westoe were determined to make the most of the extra man advantage, and Carlisle didn’t help themselves by gifting penalties to the opposition who were now camped on the Carlisle try line.
Things got worse for the visitors when in quick succession Josh Holmes and then John Walker were also sin binned leaving Carlisle with only 12 men to defend, which so close to the line proved impossible.
Westoe crossed for their second try when the gaps appeared taking a 14-3 lead after barely ten minutes gone in the second half.
All credit to the remaining players on the park, that they conceded no further points whilst down two players, due to some hard defence work until the complement was restored.
With tiredness creeping into both sets of players having competed at some pace on the artificial surface, play again was restricted to between the 22s with neither side able to land a killer blow.
Then Lung stole an off-load during a Westoe attack, and raced up the pitch with a Westoe defender chasing him. Though he was hauled down just hort of the line, winger Tyler Callaghan was there for the offload and dotted down under the posts for Carlisle’s first try of the season, converted by Whittaker.
Just as Westoe launched another offence, the ball was turned over and Burns shot up the park, with only the last defender to beat. Brought down in the tackle, the ref adjudged the following support to have gone over the top at the breakdown, and the chance was gone.
Westoe made good use of the wind at their backs to keep Carlisle pinned back in their 22, and another penalty infringement by the Cumbrians resulted in Westoe converting the penalty with the last kick of the game.
