Upper Eden maintained their long unbeaten record with a 42-13 win at Whitehaven.
Prior to the kick-off a minute’s silence was held to remember Upper Eden life member Roger ‘Rocker’ Thompson who died recently.
There was a large contingent of Upper Eden supporters who were dressed in their double denim… a very fitting way to honour and remember their friend.
Eden were playing into the wind in the first half but when Oliver Bennett fielded a home clearance he kicked deep into the Whitehaven 22.
Eden turned the ball over in open play and following a series of forward drives Joss Warren fed Bennett who outpaced the defence to score under the posts and he added the conversion.
From the re-start Whitehaven were awarded a penalty for a high tackle and Eden were able to clear their lines the hosts responded again.
They worked the ball wide for Ellis Selkirk to score an unconverted try.
Whitehaven regained possession from the restart and took the ball into the visitors’ half where they were awarded a penalty for crossing and Steve McConnell’s penalty took them into the lead by a point.
Will Birkbeck, active in defence and attack, turned the ball over from the restart and was awarded a penalty which was taken quickly by Richard Addison who went over and Bennett converted.
Eden dominated the scrums and with solid defence began to dominate.
When Rupert Civil took the ball into the oppositions 22 and was awarded a penalty for a high tackle, the Whitehaven prop involved was yellow carded.
Eden kicked to the corner and won the line-out, before a series of drives ended with Matty Sanderson crossing the line to score. Bennett’s conversion gave them a 21-8 lead at half-time.
Eden were able to increase their lead early in the second-half when a Whitehaven line-out was turned over by Rob Dent and the ball was moved wide for Bennet to round the defence to score and convert.
Eden were reduced to 14 men when Dent was yellow-carded and that lifted Whitehaven.
They drove into the Eden half and although initially thwarted by a try-saving tackle from Addison only metres from the line they did keep up the pressure and scored again in the corner through Danny Dougherty.
Another Whitehaven attack ended when Will Birkbeck turned the ball over in his own 22 and outpaced the opposition to take play into the host’s half.
Although the ball was hacked forward there was too much on it and went dead before the Eden attack could get there.
From the ensuing scrum Eden moved the ball wide and were pressing the hosts defence when Bennet suffered a back injury.
There was a long pause in play while he was treated and eventually stretchered from the pitch and conveyed to hospital by ambulance.
Good tackling from Eden resulted in a turnover for Addison who outpaced the home defence to score and this time Dan Todd converted.
Eden regained the ball from the re-start and when Civil kicked through the defence, James Birkbeck retrieved the ball to score under the posts. Todd converted.
This was a solid performance from Eden in what was a stop-start scrappy game.
Bennett was released later from hospital and will be out of action for a number of weeks.
Upper Eden’s man of the match was Richard Addison.
