Keswick came out on top in a double header with Carlisle it Davidson Park – with still plenty at stake in the first team fixture.
Although Carlisle are already relegated Keswick are still battling to survive in Regional 2 North and the 20-15 win edges them to the brink of safety.
Mathematically Keswick are not guaranteed safety yet but Carlisle could guarantee that for them by beating South Shields Westoe at Warwick Road on Saturday.
Keswick can, of course, clinch safety themselves when they visit struggling Consett for their final game at the week-end.
The afternoon was always going to be tense with so much at stake and so it proved with Carlisle producing one of their best performances of the season and going close to a first win.
It was a tense and close game, with opportunities for Carlisle to win, especially during the periods when they had numerical superiority, yet that first win remains elusive.
From the start defences were in charge and the first score didn’t come until 18 minutes with an opportunist unconverted try from Ryan Weir after a kick return.
Five minutes later and Carlisle were back in the game with a well worked catch and drive from a line out. . Although Vinny Lung was initially forced back, the forwards reworked the ball, and it was captain Josh Holmes who crashed over to level the score at 5-5.
The conversion was missed which ultimately would be Carlisle’s undoing as there were numerous points-scoring chances throughout the game not taken.
The game didn’t stay tied for long as Weir showed his strength and guile again to take the score to 10-5 in Keswick’s favour after supporting a solid break from hard working forward Mark Trow.
The final score of the half came from a Kieran Mewse penalty to take Keswick into the break with a 13-5 lead.
The second half started much in Carlisle’s favour aided by Keswick dropping to 13 men after yellow cards for technical offences. Eventually Jason Israel took crash ball over the line for their second try.
Carlisle were having a much better second half, but were unable to convert their opportunities, guilty of perhaps rushing things at time.
However another yellow card for Keswick gave the visitors numerical superiority once more, and Israel once again found himself on the end of a flat pass to go through the defence for Carlisle’s third try, and a 15-13 lead.
The score had come from a, controversial decision by the referee allowing play to go on after what most supporters including Carlisle visitors, thought was a knock on.
Up to that point Keswick had been defending strongly led from the front once more by hard tackling captain George Holme supported by forwards Stephen Moss and Joe Quayle.
Keswick pressed hard as the clock wound down but the Carlisle defence held firm until a long kick up-field nearly to the Keswick try line was gathered by Weir who set off on a mazy run beating at least five defenders as he sidestepped and used strength and speed to score a spectacular hat-trick try converted by Mewse to win the game.
Indeed it was a try worthy of winning any game and although there was no bonus point for Keswick they were four crucial league points in the relegation battle.
Keswick were holding the past players reunion and the game could not have ended better. The second team also pulled off a fine victory over Carlisle by 40-10 capping an all-round successful day on the pitch.
Off the pitch the club ran a special fundraiser, collecting for the Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood Charity (SUDC) where spectators and supporters gave generously on gate money, raffle and auction to make the day overall a huge success.
Carlisle players, staff and supporters alike played a big part in this.
