After having to concede a walk-over at League leaders Carlisle, Ambleside were back in action.
For the first time this season Ambleside had the delightful problem of picking from 25 players who stepped up and made themselves available after a torrid experience last week.
The result was an impressive 38-14 win at Penrith 2nds in Counties 1 Cumbria.
It came after the Centurions rallied the legions and marched north to Penrith while coach Matt Kaye was able to rest five players carrying slight injuries including the Tebbett brothers, Josh Wright, and Tom Smith.
It was a welcome return to rugby and the Ambleside forwards to have Lewis Cunningham back after a long injury.
He helped steady the scrum from the start and carried the ball hard into contact having a very good all-round game.
In the backs, Jack Akrigg was back directing his troops as the general in the back line while firing arrow-like clearance kicks 50 to 60 metres downfield to turn around and demoralise a spirited Penrith 2nds team who dominated the first ten minutes of play.
On two or three occasions Penrith broke the Ambleside line only for fullback Cam Penn to stop the flowing move with some technically great last ditch defensive tackles.
Akrigg’s long range kicking game was at its best and with all of the Ambleside forwards running the ball hard and with intent the momentum began to swing Ambleside’s way, as they backed each other up and worked through the phases.
Ambleside’s first try was scored by Red Marshall out wide after the ball moved through every set of backs hands and was scored out wide in the corner.
Ambleside were in full flow and one of the finds of the season young Ben Glynn crashed towards the line and did amazingly well to stretch out an arm and place the ball on the try line converted. It was converted by Cameron Penn.
Soon after the that the third try Ambleside try was scored when Tadgh Butler crashed over with three defenders hanging off him but Penn missed the conversion.
The Ambleside pressure was relentless and the bonus point try was scored when young Tom Allday at scrum half dummied from the base of a ruck, went blind and swan dived over for the try of the first half, converted by Penn to give the Centurions a 24-0 half-time lead.
When a game of rugby is going your way like this you never want the half time whistle to come but it did and with the changes Ambleside made, they expected the fresh legs of Reid and Dan Akrigg to make a difference.
So, they did but not as they expected. Young Akrigg was so excited to be back on the rugby field he got carried away with his first tackle which was so late the camera man missed it, but the referee didn’t.
So, after 30 seconds of play in the second half the referee decided that Akrigg needed a 10-minute rest on the side lines.
Ambleside looked fitter than in previous weeks but that could have been due to having a full bench for a change but what was worrying in the second half was the number of penalties they started to give away.
Just as Akrigg came back on the field Mike Burton from Ambleside came alive on the wing running great lines at pace, catching balls behind his head and racing in for the fifth try, converted by Penn for a 31-0 lead.
After a shocking raised elbow from a Penrith player, Harry Reid for Ambleside spoke out of turn and found himself on the touch line for 10 minutes.
That didn’t slow Ambleside down as the Akrigg brothers worked a beautiful move in the back line to put Dan Akrigg under the posts untouched, converted by Penn.
A very mixed aged, but spirited Penrith team, never gave up till the final whistle and scored two great consolation tries before the end.
Man of the match for Ambleside was Nick Bayliss and coach Kaye was delighted with mid-week training, and the improvement in attitude and commitment from the whole squad.
The performance and execution were excellent, but he knows his team must stay composed and retain their discipline as in a closer game near the end of the season conceding 17 penalties as they did could be the difference between winning and losing a couple of those games.
That then would cost them the league position they truly deserve after the effort everyone at the club has put in over the last three seasons.
Next week’s fixture on the opening weekend of the Six Nations is a home friendly game against Lancaster University, kick off 2.15pm, followed by England v Wales being shown in the bar.
Then a return to earth and an away league fixture versus Whitehaven on Valentine’s Day.
