Rugby match abandoned after major injury for player

A game in the Holmen Iggesund Cumberland ARL had to be abandoned after a bad injury to one of the players.

Maryport were leading local rivals Ellenborough A 20-8 when, two minutes into the second-half, Craig Foster suffered a broken and dislocated ankle.

The 30-year-old Maryport forward is the brother of coach Mark Foster who said: “He had only come on after 30 minutes as a substitute and just seemed to go over on his ankle.

“We will have to see but at 30 that might mean the end of his career.”

The week-end programme had started on Friday night at Wath Brow where the home club’s A team beat their Egremont counterparts 40-4.

They had built an 18-0 lead by half-time with tries from Liam Mattinson (9), Jack Meagan (13), Jenson Olstrum (24) and Mattinson again (27). Olstrum was only able to convert his own try.

Three minutes after the re-start Mattinson, who was to earn the Hornets’ man of the match accolade, went in for his hat-trick try.

Jason Connery (53) and Brad White (63) went on to score further tries for the home side, both converted by Olstrum before Egremont got on the score-sheet. Matt Hutchins scored an unconverted try seven minutes from the end.

But the last word belonged to the Brow, and inevitably it went to Mattinson who crossed for his fourth try a minute from time. This time Connery popped over the extras.

James Newton picked-up the man of the match award for Egremont A.

With the Distington v Cockermouth game postponed because of the death of Titans coach David Varty, the only other game saw Kells A snatch a 26-24 victory at Glasson.

A minute from the end a set re-start enabled Kells A to establish field position and from there Ashton Sice scrambled over for the winning try.

It always promised to be a tight game and that’s how it played-out with the lead changing hands on several occasions.

Glasson were first to strike on 12 minutes when Matt Burns scored a try which Luke Johnson converted.

Five minutes later Keelan Parr reduced the arrears for Kells with an unconverted try.

It was Kells A who went into the break 10-6 to the good when Jack Rose scored a try on 31 minutes which Kieran Halcrow converted.

Glasson got back in front on 53 minutes when Johnson scored a try and converted it but three minutes later Kells had the lead. Aaron Burns went over for the try which Halcrow converted.

When Nathan Clarke crossed on 61 minutes, with Halcrow converting for a 22-12 lead it looked as though Kells were on course for the win.

But Glasson fought back superbly with tries from Burns (69) and Shane Williams (72), both converted by Johnson for a 24-22 advantage.

In the end they just couldn’t see it through as Sice, the Kells A man of the match, scored the decisive late try. Johnson was the Glasson man of the match.