Keswick Falcons Under-16s battled their way to a very good win in the North East and Cumbria Under-16s League, writes Ben Challis.
They were up against a good Rockliffe side, who had some excellent players, some well organised play, and who never gave up.
After Saturday’s rain, Davidson Park was now sticky and heavy on the Sunday, and the pitch sapped energy and made fast running tricky.
From the first minute, the Falcons set their stall out.
Some excellent tackling from the players on both sides saw changes of possession, but it was strong running from the Keswick backs that saw the home side run in three tries in succession, Hannah Sumbler with the first and then two from Hannah Johnstone, with Sumbler adding one conversion.
Breakdowns were eagerly contested by both teams, and and Rockcliffe pulled a try back.
Keswick then extended their lead with another Sumbler try which she converted herself, but good handling from the opposition saw them run in a second try and a Half-time score of Keswick 24, Rockcliffe 10.
As the second half opened, the damp conditions caused handling errors by both sides, but hard fought turnovers from the Falcons saw them get the lions’ share of the possession, with Johnstone going over for her hat trick try.
The Roses pulled another unconverted try back, and then after constant Keswick pressure, Masie Howarth put the icing on the cake with a powerful drive to the Roses’ line for a final try with Sumbler adding her third conversion.
This was a very good, entertaining, hard fought and very competitive match, but, with a strong team effort, the Keswick Girls came away deserved 36-15 winners.
