Cumbria A kicked off their county pool season with a spirited away performance against a strong Greater Manchester side stacked with talent, including tour professionals such as Aaron Davies.
A blistering start saw Cumbria race into a 4–1 lead, eventually taking the first set 6–5.
The momentum shifted in sets two and three, with GMC capitalising on a run of strong finishes and a touch of misfortune for the Cumbrian lads, taking them 7–4 and 8–3.
The final set saw Cumbria rally superbly, stringing together four on the bounce to pull within three with four to play. Despite the late surge, GMC closed out the match, and secured a 26–18 win.
Star performer for Cumbria was Aaron Long who four out of four, a flawless full house, made even more impressive by victories over both Aaron Davies and Aaron Hughes.
There were strong contributions from Richard Forrester – 3 from 4 and Mike Owens – also 3 from 4, who went into the final set unbeaten.
Over it was a battling start for the A team with plenty of positives to build on.
There was also a very encouraging opening display from the B team, with new recruits settling in seamlessly both in performance and team spirit, although they eventually lost 28-16 to GMC B.
Cumbria were well in the contest for the majority of the match, but a late dip made the final stretch a tough climb. Credit to GMC B, who have clearly strengthened this season.
The quality in the Cumbria squad was evident throughout, and once this group fully gels, the outlook is extremely promising.
The standout performers (all three from four) were Kelvin Wharton, Stuart Krause and Dave Sanderson.
Over the team showed great commitment, great numbers, and a great foundation for the season ahead.
The Cumbrian seniors also played GMC and were beaten 27-17. It was not the ideal start for them, but plenty of encouraging signs against a solid GMC outfit. A little more run of the balls wouldn’t have hurt, but overall the performance had merit.
The top performers were Jack Potts – 3/4 on his return, narrowly missing out on the full house and Steve O’Hagan – 3/4, on an excellent debut.
The Ladies match ended Greater Manchester 29, Cumbria15 but that was a decent start to the season for the Cumbrians, with a full squad travelling away to Manchester and three new players making their debuts – Kate Fisher, Zoe Mincher and Amie Russell.
The top performances came from Corina Nicholson – 3 from 4; Ali Walker 3 from 4; Angie Matues – 2/4 and Margaret Jayne Welsh – 2/4
Several close frames could easily have swung Cumbria’s way, showing just how competitive the team already is.
The next fixture is on Sunday April 12 versus Merseyside at the QZone Carlisle.
