After the big freeze the weekend before, Keswick battled their way to a sometimes scrappy but always hugely entertaining win over Consett, coming from behind to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the closing stages, writes Ben Challis.
Consett came into the game in second place in the table, with Keswick sixth, and Consett were the in form side.
For Keswick supporters it was encouraging that for the first 20 minutes the sides looked evenly matched, but with Keswick doing better with the scrums and line outs, but both teams guilty of poor handling and some poor passes at times.
Keswick’s Kieran Mewse took an early penalty kick to get the lead, but the kick sailed just wide of the posts, but Keswick did then take the lead through an excellent Dan Craghill try which was set up by a inch perfect Mewse cross field kick from right to left wing which Craghill collected perfectly and then jinked his was past two defenders to dive in, with a Mewse conversion making it 7-0.
Just three minutes later Consett hit back with an unconverted try before Mewse extended Keswick’s lead for with a penalty goal for 10-5. It was close and Consett closed the first half with a penalty and a converted try for a 10-15 lead.
As the second half opened, Consett then took what looked like a potentially game winning lead with another converted try for 10-22.
Thankfully Keswick were not done, the fightback began, and after sustained pressure on the Consett try line Danny Price was released on the right wing to dive in to touch down with Mewse adding a tricky conversion for 17-22.
Keswick’s game management was hit and miss, and some passing and kicks were woefully off target, but Consett were making similar errors and the visitors’ discipline was falling apart.
Two crucial Mewse penalties regained the lead for Keswick, albeit by just one point at 23-22 in an increasingly fractious game, and with 10 minutes left to play.
Price was denied a second try on the line as he dived in, adjudged to have knocked on by referee Jonny Watson, and gained a sin binning for his reaction, but almost immediately captain and Man of the Match Peter Wightman muscled his way down the left wing to score an unconverted try for 28-22.
All Keswick needed was to keep possession now as the clock ticked down, but a converted try would win it for Consett.
Somehow the Kestrels managed to hold out for the win. It was frustrating at some points and nerve shredding for supporters from both sides in the final minutes, but Consett couldn’t crack Keswick and the Kestrels took the win.
After the match, coach Garry Holmes said: “This was a really good start to 2026. I thought we were very calm under pressure after going 10-22 down and it’s more than encouraging to see that the squad has bought into building through the foundations of our game.
“Our front row were dominant in the scrum and this allowed the rest of the team to function well.
Lineouts worked well with Keswick winning over eighty percent for the first time this season.
“The set pieces allowed us to build pressure, even when we were behind on the scoreboard. I thought our backs played well and looked threatening in attack and defended really well.
“This was a really good performance from the lads and we kept calm under pressure.
“We continue to build and we will improve as we go forward. It’s an exciting time to be part of the squad.”
In other results, Aspatria secured a close and crucial 35-30 win over West Hartlepool to ease away from trouble at the bottom of the table, and Northern solidified their position at the top of the table with a 38-0 win over Percy Park.
Elsewhere bottom side Wigton fell to a 7-50 defeat at home to Morpeth, Sunderland defeated Guisborough 24-7 and Upper Eden defeated Durham City 29-26 to move into eighth spot. Keswick stay sixth after the win.
