Workington Zebra Finches tasted their second defeat of the season in League 2 North as they went down 19-13 at The Ellis to Keswick Falcons, writes John Hastings.
The visitors maintain their 100% unbeaten record but were made to grind hard and dig deep for their victory.
Keswick dominated proceedings from kick off as they pinned Workington in their own half and that pressure hit the jackpot on six minutes when Emma Powell found space to bolt clear and cruise over to touch down for the opening try, which was easily converted by Vicky Mitchell.
Despite the early setback, Workington seized their chance from the restart and a procession of attacks into Falcons’ territory ensued and their pressure yielded two penalties in five minutes, both impeccably executed by Nicole Stewart.
The Finches’ confidence kept on growing and they began to create chances that stretched Keswick’s defensive shield to breaking point, but the ultimate snap remained out of reach.
Having weathered the onslaught, the Falcons regained the initiative and ended the first half as they started by pressing Workington deep into their own half.
With seconds remaining, Keswick launched one final surge and Leanne Grave nipped in unmarked to score under the posts, setting up Carly Cronin to deliver the easiest of conversions.
The opening 20 minutes of the second half were evenly balanced, with both sides enjoying dominance in each other’s halves as well as occasional scrummaging in midfield.
From a Workington perspective, it was Beth Sunderland, Meagan McAndrew and captain Charlotte Cammack who worked tirelessly in search of openings to exploit, while “wing twins” Megan Donald and Caitlin Jenkinson patrolled their flanks like vultures weighing up their prey.
However, Keswick began to up the ante and on 62 minutes their latest surge deep into Workington territory saw Lilly Hodgson deliver a breathtaking solo run that left her opponents breathless as she coasted over for the visitors’ third try, which this time was not converted.
With Keswick 13 points up, it looked as if they were ready to accelerate towards a comfortable romp – but Workington don’t do scripts, let alone read them, and they went head on in pursuit of an unlikely victory.
They weathered more Keswick attacks before launching surges of their own, with Cammack, McAndrew, Stewart and Sunderland in the thick of the action.
But with the clock ticking, Keswick managed to hold firm until the closing seconds when Megan Donald finished off a fine pass and move to claim her 7th try of season and Stewart had the last word with her conversion.
Workington remain second in League 2 North, six points behind Keswick and both meet up in the return fixture at Davidson Park on March 17 – depending on results, that could well be a title decider.
In the meantime, Workington host Darlington at The Ellis this Sunday, weather permitting.
