Up against the joint leaders in Regional 2 North, it would been hard to imagine that Keswick had any sort of chance against Northern FC, writes Ben Challis.
But in a game that saw two well matched sides battle for 80 minutes in a close match at Davidson Park on a glorious sunny afternoon, Keswick can only be proud of their efforts and a scoreline that ended in a 13-19 defeat, with a bonus point for Keswick who also managed to deny Northern a bonus point.
With the sides were well matched in the scrum and line outs, it was Keswick who opened the scoring with a penalty goal from Kieran Mewse.
Keswick’s Ryan Weir and Callum McClary both made good probing runs deep into Northern territory, and Northern responding with their own attacks, and with both teams defending well, this was a thrilling contest.
Northern replied late in the first half when their big and powerful (and surprisingly quick) No 8 Sam Gaff burst through the Keswick defence to dive in under the sticks for a try converted by Will Jobling, giving a 3-7 scoreline at the break.
Northern extended their lead when sustained second half pressure on the Keswick try line ended with Charlie Smith twisting through to score for another converted try.
Keswick were still in the game, now had the majority of possession and had momentum, and even when Northern’s Tom Chandler sprinted clear on the right wing to score for an unconverted try, Keswick were not done.
Sustained Keswick pressure on the visitors try line resulted in a penalty try and a scoreline of 10-19 with ten minute left on the clock.
A second Mewse penalty goal made it 13-19 and put the pressure onto Northern, but the visitors held on for the final three minutes and took home a hard fought win.
After the match, Keswick head coach Garry Holmes said: “I am really proud of how our lads responded after last week’s performance.
“We aimed to go after Northern physically, with a good line press in defence, and we looked to dominate at the setpiece.
“I feel we achieved our aims for the majority of the game. The small details or drops in concentration in our game possibly stopped us from snatching a win, and Northern showed why they are fighting for promotion.
“However, I feel we showed we have the ability to compete with the top teams in the league, which is a brilliant sign going forward.
“It’s difficult to single out players as this was a real team effort, but Kieran Mewse managed our game really well, picking up the Man of the Match award.
“We now have a week off which means we can address some finer details before heading to in form Guisborough on March 22.”
