Keswick won an important Cumbrian derby in their last competitive game of 2024, defeating Kirkby Lonsdale 24-0 in muddy battle played in appalling conditions, writes Ben Challis.
A wet week and heavy overnight rain prompted a change of venue on Saturday, with the club’s Davidson Park pitches waterlogged, and even with a 2.15pm kick off, dark skies, persistent rain and a biting, cold and swirling wind meant that conditions at the School Playing Fields were, at best, unpleasant.
A surprising number of supporters from both clubs had made their way to the Regional Two North match, but for the first 20 minutes the game was scoreless, although after the opening phase was increasingly played in the Kirkby Lonsdale half.
Kirkby Lonsdale had some strong players and some pacey looking backs, but Keswick began to dominate possession and both Jamie McKenzie and Aaron Thompson were held up on the visitors’ try line.
It took a flash of brilliance from Joe Allday to break the deadlock, interrupting what looked like a dangerous Kirkby Lonsdale passing move across the field of play, to take possession and then sprint down the right wing and dive in to score. Kieran Mewse’s conversion was on target but was buffeted sideways by the wind just as it reached the sticks, leaving the score at 5-0.
The game remained a tight battle, but Keswick were stronger in the scrum, their pack dominated, and quick distribution by Matty Roper, clever kicking from Glen Weightman, and the pace of Chris Potter in particular gave Keswick the upper hand.
Keswick then again put sustained pressure on the Kirkby Lonsdale try line, using repeated scrums to drive forwards, with Man Of The Match Dan Alllaker putting in a tremendous shift.
Both Lewis Bell and Karl Smyth came close to scoring before it was James Benson who crashed through under the sticks to secure Keswick’s second try which Mewse duly converted for a 12-0 lead at half time.
The second half opened with a prolonged hail storm, with the remaining supporters struggling to make out what was happening further away on the pitch in the fading light for much of the next 40 minutes.
With footings now treacherous, it was Allday who again used his speed to set up what was going to Keswick’s third try.
He was tackled a metre short of the try line, and when the tackler then failed to release Allday, with any of Potter, Mewse and Roper well placed to pounce and score, referee Martin Maughan no option but to award Keswick a penalty try and seven more points.
The final try was another Allday sprint, chased by three closing Kirby Lonsdale defenders, with Allday opting to dive five metres out, somehow sliding forwards on the soaking wet and now icy pitch to come to a stop well over the visitors’ try line, despite all three defenders holding onto him, to cement a very good win.
With the clubs around Keswick in the league all losing (Carlisle 21-55 to Middlesbrough, Upper Eden 14-22 to Consett, Aspatria 42-47 to Morpeth and Guisborough 12-57 to West Hartlepool) Keswick now sit in seventh spot in the league, and have a game in hand over sixth placed Consett.
Head coach Garry Holmes said: “A lot of praise must go out to the players on both teams for battling hard in horrendous conditions.
“Playing into the wind in the first half, our defence held well, and Kirkby didn’t use the wind as we expected them too.
“When they did kick, Kieran Mewse was solid at the back and got a lot of joy running it back. Joe Allday had a big game on the wing, scoring two and unlucky not to get a hat trick with that effort ending up being awarded as penalty try.
“As we go into Christmas, we will take time to reflect on the season so far. We set out to make Davidson Park a fortress, and with our players defending like warriors with strength and honour, we find ourselves climbing the league, and this has been built on a record of conceding just 64 points at home this season, the best home defensive record in a tough league. We will continue to build and work hard to continue this growth into the next games.”
Keswick will now have their two traditional social (but always hard fought!) games over the festive break against Penrith RUFC, with an away tie at Winters Park on Boxing Day, and then a home tie at Davidson Park on New Year’s Day.
Keswick First XV resume league games on Saturday January 4 with an encounter against Morpeth with a 2pm kick off.
