Workington Town Ladies crowned a successful season with a 32-30 home win over Halifax Panthers.
That was enough to clinch the League Two title and completed a fine double after their success in the plate competition.
The West Cumbrians couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game as they used their sharp backs to set up an early 18-0 lead.
Alice Rush scored two of the tries, while in between Josie Scrimgour also crossed the Halifax line and the reliable boot of Laura Ivison made sure all three were converted.
Halifax, who relied a lot on their big, powerful forwards cane more into the game and before half-time they had scored two tries – but crucially, as it turned out, neither was converted.
It didn’t take long for Town to respond at the start of the second-half and after good work by the forwards Rush went over to complete her hat-trick. Ivison again converted.
But Halifax were persistent and game opponents and they scored a converted try to cut the deficit to 10 points.
Again Town responded well and the fleet-footed Scrimgour showed her class when she raced clear from 20 metres to dot down her second try of the afternoon, which went unconverted.
The gap was soon back to ten points when Halifax scored in the corner and when the Panthers got over under the Town posts and kicked the conversion, a four point lead looked precarious.
But Town weren’t to be denied and Scrimgour capped a fine game by racing clear for her hat-trick try which just about saw the home side over the finish line.
There was some late drama, however, when the Panthers scored a converted try to reduce the Town lead to as small as it had been throughout the game.
But the two points margin was enough and the Cumbrians safely negotiated the last three minutes to claim the league title.
