Keswick held the upper hand regarding territory and possession in their National 2 North derby at Aspatria and ran out worthy 16-6 winners.
It was a satisfying win for the visitors but less satisfaction for those watching the game.
The fluency of play disappeared into the gathering gloom as Aspatria’s penalty count rose into the 20s, and Keswick conceded less but not by many. So it was stop-start in a contest that will be quickly forgotten.
The points gathered by Keswick move them up to 9th place with 21 points, and Aspatria remain 7th on 23.
However, results elsewhere will be a concern to both clubs. Guisborough and Kirkby
Lonsdale, who have occupied the two relegation slots in past weeks, recorded good wins on home soil. They remain the bottom pair but will no doubt feel that escape is not beyond them.
With the second half of the season now commenced no team in the current bottom six can consider themselves safe from the drop. Some nail-biting rugby lies ahead for the five Cumbrian sides that are all in this mix.
The game at Bower Park began with both sides getting hands on the ball and in those early minutes, it looked likely that the teams were well matched.
Keswick broke the deadlock on seven minutes with a penalty from Kieran Mewse.
He missed with another attempt on 12 minutes but infringements by Aspatria kept on coming and these handed Keswick near continuous field position in and around the home 22.
Keswick, near enough, went through their entire playbook attempting to break the resolve of the home defence.
There were rolling mauls, several five-metre scrums and line-outs plus the odd series of pick and go tactics. Nothing worked. This pattern of play took the game to within ten minutes of the half-time whistle when Keswick determined enough was enough and asked Mewse to cash in on yet another penalty to establish a 6-0 lead.
Conceding only three points was, in a strange way, a victory for Aspatria. It also allowed them to get into Keswick territory from the re-start.
Keswick by this time had also entered into the gift giving spirit of handing penalties to their opponents and did so shortly after the re-start to give Aspatria’s Jack Clegg his first pop at the posts to half the deficit.
It was a half-time score-line that the home side had done little to deserve. The second half was a much more even affair. Keswick certainly shaded time in possession but they would not again achieve the dominance held during the first 40 minutes.
In the first 10 minutes of the half Mewse and Clegg swopped penalties and the three-point gap was maintained well into the final quarter.
In the intervening time, both teams had opportunities and of these, the best went to Keswick from a kick and chase, providing an overload in the backs division which was ultimately wasted.
On 65 minutes Keswick delivered the crucial score of the game. It was a good try and so totally out of context with the rest of the game.
Keswick won possession around half-way and shipped the ball to the left where centre Ryan Weir took possession. His arcing run completely outfoxed the covering defence and he was able to sail under the posts. Mewse added the extras and Keswick had a telling ten point lead.
Aspatria saved their best until late in the game, mounting several attacks that might have swung the result but for some committed, last ditch tackling by Keswick.
Even in the last minute of the game the home side might have rescued a losing bonus point but declined what seemed an easy penalty.
Instead, they decided on one last attack at the Keswick line. The charge to the line was cut down by Keswick to end the game.
It was not a pragmatic decision by Aspatria but one that summed up the pride taken in wearing the black and red shirt.
Afterwards, Keswick’s head coach Garry Holmes said: “I think our performances against Middlesbrough and Northern have really helped our self-belief and built real trust throughout the squad.
“We know derby games are tough, and Aspatria is one of the hardest places to go (I remember that well as a player).
“Again our pack stepped up physically, and our set pieces functioned really well against extremely good opposition.
“Our backs connection in defence meant we were able to repeatedly stall Aspatria’s momentum during the game and I think the game came down to possession and in particular territory.
“We benefitted from playing the majority of the game in their half which allowed us to build pressure on the opposition, and although Aspatria were also committed in defence, Ryan Weir took his try extremely well. I think that was the only crack in either defence all day.
“It certainly was a good game for a neutral rugby purest, with big collisions and a battle at every set piece!.
“Our outstanding players for the day were Karl Smyth and James Benson, who both dealt with Aspatria pressure so effectively, with some big turn overs and some big breaks which saw Keswick regain possession and rebuild momentum.”
