Aspatria lost their Regional 2 North game 36-6 against visiting Northern but that did not indicate an easy day for the Newcastle-based team.
But this was far from the case as the result was in the balance deep into the second half.
It was Aspatria’s failure throughout the game to turn red zone possession into scores which proved an insurmountable difference between the sides.
This was a day on which results elsewhere loomed large over the teams at Bower Park. For Northern, it was a day of celebration as they clinched the league championship with three games to spare.
Not so good an afternoon for Aspatria. Their three rivals in the battle to avoid the post-season relegation shoot-out, a one-off game that will determine which team is relegated alongside Wigton, all posted positive results.
Upper Eden look safe, leaving Guisborough and Durham City battling on to avoid becoming Aspatria’s opposition.
With Aspatria’s prospects of avoiding the winner-takes-all game gone, attention turns to an attempt to secure home advantage.
This remains an outside possibility but relies on winning at least two of the three remaining games and grabbing a clutch of bonus points in the process.
When Northern attacked and gained a position in the home 22, they rarely exited without points.
The first of six tries came early, but the seven point gap created was surely not going to last long as Aspatria launched a wave of promising attacks. Several of these ended, not due to a stern Northern defence, which was in evidence, but unforced home errors.
With 18 minutes played, Aspatria decided to get on the scoreboard with a successful Jack Clegg penalty but at the time, it seemed slight reward for Aspatria’s efforts.
The game was relatively even as the game moved into the final 10 minutes of the first half. Around this time, a penalty conceded by Aspatria, allowed Northern to set up a catch and drive move that was well executed and extended the lead to 12-3.
The score unleashed a late spell of pressure from Northern, but the Aspatria defence was equal to the challenge and able to see out the half without further damage.
Immediately, from the restart, Aspatria were awarded a penalty, and Clegg’s boot brought the deficit back to 12-6.
Aspatria looked capable of threatening Northern, but the next time the Newcastle side rolled into the 22, a quick tap penalty caught the home side napping and widened the gap with a converted try.
Aspatria continued to launch some threatening attacks, but overall Northern appeared to have the edge, and they turned this into points on 57 minutes when an Aspatria error at the tail end of a line-out permitted a walk-in score.
A 26-6 deficit looked too much for Aspatria to overcome, but the effort to do so was clearly apparent.
Home attacks took them close to the Northern line several times. Twice Aspatria appeared to be on the cusp of tries, but the final handling was suspect, and this, rather than defence, saved Northern.
Into the final minutes of the game, Aspatria’s defensive efforts became laboured. Northern exploited this to score two late tries and demonstrate why they are deserved champions of this league.
