Wigton continued their preparations for the new rugby union season by hosting two visiting sides to Lowmoor Road.
Hartlepool and The Stewartry provided the opposition to a young Wigton squad of 21 players who were keen to make a positive impression.
Their eagerness spilled over in the first five minutes against Hartlepool as ill-discipline cost them possession and field position.
The defence stood firm though and when Wigton did get their share of possession they piut together some good attacking phases, allowing them to move the ball wide and stretch the bigger Hartlepool team.
Following several phases of attack and off-loads to keep the continuity going Wigton scored their first try through Charlie Bell, which was quickly followed by a second from debutant Ryan Armstrong, a strong running forward who has lots of potential.
Other tries were scored by Billy Stafford (2) and Josh Nicholson to give the Greens a comfortable victory.
Wigton then faced The Stewartry who had enjoyed a great previous season securing a League and Cup double. They are a League level higher than Wigton and proved to be a good test.
The game was evenly contested with Wigton looking to move the ball and stretch the Scottish team at every opportunity. However the visitors were very competitive at the breakdown and disrupted the attacks well.
The first two tries were scored by the Stewartry team after the Wigton line-out failed to function correctly and they reacted quicker to the loose ball.
Wigton then hit back with a score from Ali Gaitsgill but they weren’t clinical enough on two occasions and missed opportunities to score. This proved to be the difference for as soon as Stewartry won another turnover they moved the ball wide and scored in the corner.
Despite the defeat it proved an invaluable days action as the younger Wigton players continue to develop and gain more exposure to senior rugby.
With a number of experienced players to add to Saturday’s squad competition for places is growing.
This Saturday sees a Young Farmers charity game at Lowmoor Road and an inter-squad game before the Wigton team will travel to Cockermouth on August 24 to have a joint training session.
Training continues at Lowmoor Road every Tuesday and Thursday from 6.30pm.
