Keswick started their Cumbria One league game in the rain against a very strong Carlisle side, writes Ben Challis.
Keswick were missing a large number of players from the match day squad due to illness, injury and unavailability.
Keswick started well, and had the first chance of points when Ste Holloway used a penalty to kick for the sticks but his effort went just wide.
Carlisle now began to dominate, they could push Keswick back in the scrum, and their backs looked fast and skilful, although a number of fast paced Carlisle charges went woefully wrong with poor passes, missed catches and rain assisted fumbles.
On eight minutes Tyler Callaghan opened the scoring for Carlisle with an converted try, and six minutes after that Jake Whittaker added a second try for a 0-12 Carlisle lead.
Keswick worked hard to stem the Carlisle momentum with players putting their bodies on the line and taking some hard knocks, but on 26 minutes Lloyd Clark went over for a try, followed four minutes later by his second and Carlisle’s fourth.
As the half closed Freddie Rawling skidded in on the now soaked pitch and Carlisle looked home and dry, unlike the weather which had moved from a drizzle to heavy rain and then a biblical downpour as the skies darkened and the heavens opened.
Carlisle’s Robbie Prudholme opened the second half with two tries in quick succession, but Keswick then had a period of sustained pressure on the Carlisle try line, battering their way forwards and were awarded repeated penalties by the referee for Carlisle infringements until his patience wore thin and Keswick were awarded a penalty try just a metre off the Carlisle try line, and a 7-43 score line.
After the restart Carlisle’s Whitaker was yellow carded, but the visitor’s scoring continued with a try from Henry Longworth, then two tries from Ethan Thomson in quick succession, and back up to full numbers finally from Jonathan Park and Vince Lung.
To add to their 12 tries, Lung kicked four conversions with Whittaker and Rawling adding one each for a final score line of 7-72.
In Regional 2 North, Keswick fell agonisingly short in a tense and exciting match at Aspatria RUFC.
In other results Northern defeated West Hartlepool 38-24, Percy Park had a close win over Durham City 38-32, Sunderland hammered Consett 50-19, Upper Eden had a 32-22 win over Morpeth, and Wigton lost out 5-16 to Guisborough.
Head coach Garry Holmes said: “Local derbies are coming thick and fast in Regional 2 North, and after the game at Aspatria we are left thinking would have could have been, what should have been.
“We know Aspatria’s Bower Park is a tough place to visit, and they are an extremely proud and gritty team. We spoke about the threat of Aspatria Man of the Match Mark Watson in particular around the ruck, and he exposed any weakness we showed.
“I thought it would be a hard fought game with two local teams going at it, and it was. We couldn’t quite take control of the game, although it felt like we were close a couple of times, we found scrum dominance, but the wind and rain made lineouts a bit of a lottery at times.
” I feel it’s a brilliant learning experience for our young players, we really felt the pressure throughout the game and we know they will grow from the experience. We are bitterly disappointed to not get the win, but the signs of growth and potentially good performances are there. We now need to find consistency both in games and through the season.”
“From the outside it may not look like a successful weekend for our senior men.
“However, we are taking huge positives from it. Our Cumbria One game was under threat of being off with nearly 30 players unavailable (and this includes some long-term injuries, in particular to our front rows) and to get two teams out this weekend was a massive success for the club as we build our playing base, community, and culture. Sometimes the win isn’t on the scoreboard but in the way people support and help each other. This is what makes our club special.
“We will always welcome new players whether they want to play regularly or just now and again.”
On Saturday in Regional 2 North, Keswick are at home to newly promoted Wigton RUFC.
