Round one of the new league season handed Aspatria an away day challenge at Kirkby Lonsdale and they came home with the points from a 23-5 victory.
It had been something of a step into the unknown as the clubs have rarely met in recent years.
It was a new look Aspatria that took to the field under the direction of ex-Wigton man, Andy Brown, the new Black Reds coach.
He was taking charge of his first competitive game and his initial team selection included debutants Ed Gate and Jude Wilkinson, with two more off the bench in the shape of James Hunter and Regan Tinnion.
Brown also had at his disposal the talents of Ryan Scott who due to work commitments has returned to his home club after a successful spell at Tynedale.
Gate and Hunter are seasoned players having undertaken previous league campaigns with Cockermouth. Tinnion has played previously for Aspatria but in recent years he has been prominent in local Rugby League with Cockermouth Titans.
Jude Wilkinson is an exciting young prospect, still in his teens but already showing his worth asone half of the second row engine room.
Aspatria’s powerful pack created constant problems for home defenders in both set-piece and open play. This edge delivered penalties and whenever these were kickable the reliable boot of centre Matty Irving harvested points for the visitors.
This straightforward strategy was enough to hand Aspatria an opening day league win; something that has eluded them for several seasons.
In the first quarter of the game there was little to choose between the teams. Aspatria used two penalties to open a 6-0 lead and during this period Kirkby had little to worry about.
The home back line looked sharp and possession was being evenly shared. The main differential being that when Kirkby earned penalties, chances to earn points were spurned in exchange for better field position. It was a ploy that did not pay off.
Around 25 minutes Kirkby posted the first try of the day to bring them back within a point and this success lifted the home side to kick start a period of attacking rugby.
In rapid succession two further attacks threatened to break the Aspatria defence but on each occasion an ill-timed pass led to the move breaking down.
However, whilst Kirkby were playing most of the attacking rugby, Aspatria still maintained the ability to mount threats and manage the game to their advantage. Two of these forays resulted in penalties and Irving was on hand to deliver points enabling Aspatria to take a 12-5 lead into the second half.
It wasn’t a big lead but Kirkby looked out of ideas and the advantage was slowly extended as the Aspatria pack began to squeeze their opposite numbers. Two early penalties by Irving added six points to the Aspatria score and created a 13 point gap. It was now very much an uphill struggle for Kirkby.
In open play Kirkby continued to achieve a decent share of possession and there was some lively attacking on show but little of what was thrown at the Aspatria defence looked likely to bring dividends.
Neither was it all roses for the away side. Aspatria also experienced difficulty in mounting back-line moves of sufficient guile to threaten tries. Action time in the Kirkby 22 was sparse but on 62 minutes a piece of brilliance by Ryan Scott at stand-off led to a welcome score.
Scott took the ball 15 meters out and nothing much looked on wide but Scott surprised Kirkby by taking a route towards a congested left flank. This stood the defence up and the ball was recycled to scrum half Mark Watson who had the gas to skirt a despairing tackle and go over.
Irving rattled the post with his touchline conversion but at 23-5 Aspatria knew there would be no comeback from the Kirkby ranks.
Coach Brown will be more than happy to post a first win as were the Aspatria supporters who travelled to the game. The overall impression was that this is a team with a lot more to offer as the new faces settle in and the season progresses.
