A game of changing fortunes finally ended 32-20 to Consett at home to Aspatria in Regional 2 North.
Twenty minutes into the game Consett appeared to have total control of proceedings. The home side led 17-3 and Aspatria did not seem to have any answers.
All the signs pointed to a comfortable day for home players and supporters. Only In the later stages of the second quarter did Aspatria begin to show signs of a fight back, which was to explode in a pulsating second half.
In fact with just minutes left on the clock Aspatria were 30-27 ahead and looked to have pulled-off a great recovery until Consett got over for a try at the death to win it.
A slow start certainly cost Aspatria but this should not diminish the quality of rugby played by Consett in that crucial first 20 minutes or their determination to fight back from what seemed like a late losing position.
The first blow had been struck with just three minutes played. Consett constructed a determined attack after winning possession around halfway. The movement was efficient and all ‘go forward’, resulting in a try in the left corner followed by a touchline conversion.
The home team’s advantage increased to 10-0 a couple of minutes later with a penalty award for a high tackle.
The deficit was reduced by a Matty Irving penalty but in the next phase of play, he was off the pitch, yellow carded for foul play. The resulting penalty shot was missed but Consett were into a golden spell of rugby and a second try was not far away.
This owed much to solid forward play and an aggression that Aspatria had not yet come to terms with.
To the mid-point in the first half Aspatria’s tackling had not been good enough. They badly needed something to spark some positive action. This did come but there were no fireworks, it was more a gradual resumption of getting the basics right.
Aspatria replaced Consett as the attacking side but most of the early efforts were from deep and efficiently handled by the home defence. Yet the attacks kept coming and provided evidence that Aspatria might yet get something from the game.
It was not only Aspatria warming up. Tempers were also rising with the referee having to calm affairs by sending one from each side to the bin. For Aspatria it was second row, Dickie Miller.
Aspatria finished the half in much better form than they had started but a crucial try eluded them despite generating some promising positions in the home 22. The visitors were finally forced to settle for an Irving penalty to conclude the scoring at 17-6.
The second half opened with Consett taking advantage of an early penalty to extend the lead but despite this there was a different mood in the Aspatria ranks who were now consistently forcing Consett back into their half.
On 54 minutes a breakthrough score was achieved. Irving had gone close to dotting down but his darting run was brought down inches short of the line, where the ball was lost forward. A home scrum followed and Aspatria’s pack struck, bulling Consett off the ball, allowing number eight Chris Graham to pick-up and go over.
It was game on at 20-13, until a defensive lapse a few minutes later undid Aspatria’s resurgence. From an attacking position, Aspatria kicked into the home 22. There seemed no danger as an attempt to run the ball back at them commenced.
However a poorly set defensive line allowed the runner to make far too much ground and with his job done there was a choice of support players to take the ball over to re-establish a 14-point lead.
The final 20 minutes had started with an Irving penalty reducing arrears to 27-16 but Aspatria kept coming and it took desperate home defence to hold the line. A defender was lost to a yellow card leading to penalties and dangerous scrums.
From the second of these Graham was over again and a-t 27:23 and still around ten minutes remaining this was anyone’s game.
Prop Arron Sullivan was next over the Consett try line but the ball was obscured by bodies and the referee could not award a try. It hardly mattered as a penalty followed and Irving’s quick tap caught Consett napping as he darted to the posts to give Aspatria a 30-27 lead.
There were still some minutes on the clock. Consett, determined not to let this one go regained possession from the restart and a penalty. It was a brave decision not to take a regulation three points and potentially tie the game.
The home side gambled and went for a line-out. Aspatria stopped the initial surge to the line but amongst a sea of bodies, a try was claimed and awarded to snatch back the lead.
It was not yet over as the referee deemed there was time to restart. Aspatria managed to wrest the ball from Consett but this time the home side held up the assault and a handling error ended play.
