Keswick Falcons pulled off a major cup upset at Davidson Park in their Women’s Intermediate Plate Quarter Final, writes Ben Challis.
They defeated Chester Devas, a side that play a tier above Keswick in the Championship North, winning with a dominant performance.
They ran in six tries for an emphatic 34-12 victory, sealed in an outstanding first half before the rain came down to reduce the second half to a grinding, muddy battle.
The Falcons came into the game on the back of a really good run of form which has taken them to the top of the Women’s NC1 North table, and opened the scoring ten minutes in when a powerful charge forwards from Ange Wray set up Abbie Burton on the left wing who was just too fast and agile for the Chester defence and Burton sprinted in from the half way line to dot down.
Keswick doubled their unexpected lead four minutes later when the pacey Teagan Quigley made valuable yards on the right wing and almost made the Chester try line which set up Leanne Grave who used brute strength to push her way over the line.
Fifteen minutes in and the Falcons were in dreamland as Burton again put on the afterburners deep in her own half and backed herself to accelerate away from the chasing Devas down the left wing to turn inwards to dot down with Ruth Barnes adding a conversion.
Chester responded with a well and began to mount more of a threat.
On the half hour a well organised attack through the centre made it to the Keswick try line and the visitors scored a converted try to put the score line at 17-7.
Chester are a good well drilled side, but they struggled to cope with the variety in Keswick’s attacks, and Quigley again showed her pace with a left wing attack to dive over by the corner flag just four minutes later for 22-7.
Keswick initially had struggled to hold Chester in scrums, but had a better kicking game and were winning almost every line out, and another powerful Wray charge set up Quigley again who set off down the right wing pursued by the Devas to dot down for an unconverted try and at the half time whistle it was 27-7.
As the second half started, the rain arrived and the already wet pitch began to churn up, frustrating Chester’s attempts to get back into the game.
The Falcons’ defence was strong with the Falcons putting in some massive tackle to hold back the Devas, and Katie Jackson pushing back and regaining territory for Keswick before a scrum set up a Chester attack that finally broke through with Chester securing an unconverted try for 27-12.
Chester kept pushing forwards and Keswick kept pushing them back, with Katie Pepper immense in defence, and the icing on the cake for Keswick came from a scrum which set up another charge for Player of the Match Quigley who was unstoppable on the right wing and cruised in to dot down under the sticks for her hat trick try, with Barnes adding the conversion for 34-12.
Although there were still 10 minutes on the clock the game was done, there was no way back for the visitors and Keswick could celebrate an excellent and well deserved win.
