Carlisle Colts ended the season with some silverware as they beat Alnwick 29-17 in the Border semi-junior League Plate final.
They went into the game having beaten Alnwick in the league but nothing is ever taken for granted in a one-off final.
The Colts played into the wind from the start but immediately took the game to their opponents, forcing Alnwick to defend deep inside their half.
After setting up a ruck a few metres out, Carlisle scored the first points when Finn Kennedy went over for after just five minutes.
Then three minutes later left winger Sam McArdle went round the last Alnwick defender for the second try and Charlie Beattie’s conversion put them 12-0 up.
Alnwick looked to strike back quickly and put Carlisle under a great deal of pressure deep inside their 22.
Only some strong defence kept-out the opposition, and winning ball back, saw Carlisle catch Alnwick short in defence as they scored their third try through William Gate with barely 15 minutes on the clock.
Carlisle had to continuously soaked up Alnwick attacks but eventually the pressure showed with the north-east side going over near the posts for a converted try. It made the score 17-7 mid-way through the first half.
The Colts were not finished though, and breaking out of their half from a scrum, they scored their fourth try just on half time through Harry Dodd, giving them a comfortable lead of 22-7.
Although the Colts had the wind at their backs in the second half, it didn’t seem to give them much advantage.
It was Alnwick who started the second half positively, scoring their second try after just three minutes to narrow the deficit.
The game was very even for the next ten minutes with neither side managing to get control over their opponents.
It was Carlisle who finally managed to leverage a score as they gradually pushed Alnwick back towards their try-line, with a series of penalties giving them chances to exploit field position.
With a warning from the referee ringing in their ears, Alnwick were finally caught on the hop, as a quick tap penalty, allowed Gate to dart down the touchline and round the defence for the fifth try with 15 minutes left. This time Matt Wasilkowski added the conversion.
A yellow card for a high tackle, reduced Carlisle to 14 for the rest of the game, and soon afterwards Alnwick exploited the extra man to score their third try, but they were running out of time.
Indeed it was the Cumbrians who finished the game strongly, battering away at the Alnwick line, only to be held before the referee blew for time.
This was a good end to the season for the Colts after an indifferent start and silverware was gained from a very good performance.
