Hine puts the boot in to hand Keswick first win
Last updated 11:46, Monday, 22 September 2008
KESWICK enjoyed their first win as a North Lancs Cumbria League side when they beat Burnley 23-19 in a cracking contest at Davidson Park.
With the lead changing hands eight times throughout the game it was one that proved enjoyable and exciting, both for the players and the spectators.
Last season’s Cumbria League champions had opened with a defeat at Aldwinians while Burnley, who were also promoted, had been beaten at home by Kirkby Lonsdale.
It was a key game for both teams, given that they had stepped-up in standard, and was as close as the score suggested with Keswick coming through to get the lead when it mattered through two penalties in the last five minutes.
Burnley had been best out of the blocks and they went in front early on with an unconverted try.
Gradually Keswick came back and after John Hine had kicked a penalty to get them on the board he added a second to put the home side in front for the first time.
But then the advantage swayed to and fro with a series of penalties taking the score from 6-5 to 6-8 to 9-8 and finally to 9-11 at half-time.
Given the context of the game it was no surprise to see Hine drop a goal early in the second-half to edge Keswick back into the lead.
But that was quickly followed by a Burnley penalty and at 12-14 it was still anyone’s game.
Keswick went close through Ben Farrell but they kept up the pressure from that attack and scored an excellent try. The ball was moved by Hine and Andy Wallace to Bruce Rigby who went in for an unconverted try.
Still Burnley stayed in the game and Keswick knew they had more work to do when the visitors responded with an unconverted try of their own.
Entering the final stages Hine won the game for Keswick when he landed two penalties in the last five minutes.
Workington also got their first win of the season in North Lancs Cumbria when they beat Aldwinians – Keswick’s opening day conquerors.
In many ways it was a game of two halves with the Zebras establishing a 15-0 lead by half-time and the visitors coming back in the second-half with ten points of their own.
Workington weren’t helped in the second half by losing influential forward David Bowe who was given a red card. The fourteen men had to dig in resolutely to ensure that the Cumbrians passed the winning post still ahead.
Mike Hawley had been the hero for the Zebras in the first-half when he scored two very good tries.
One of them was converted by Kevin Harper who also added a penalty. But it was Aldwinians who had the better of the exchanges in the second-half and gradually got back into the game.
John Aitcheson scored a try, converted it himself and also added a penalty for the Manchester side. When Bowe was red-carded there were some anxious moments in the Workington defence over the closing stages but they held on for the win which was just about deserved.
Workington had lost their opening game at Tyldesley 20-6 and reports brought back to west Cumbria suggested the opposition would be among the leading sides in the Division this season.
Wigton were able to confirm that at Lowmoor Road where they were beaten 22-8 by a very competent Tyldesley side.
However, there were excuses for the Greens as they had to play from the 17th minute with 14 men after David Thompson was sent-off.
They had also lost influential county forward Robert Marrs four minutes earlier, carried off with an ankle injury.
Coach Malcolm Brown said: “We were playing down the sloped with the breeze but were obviously handicapped by the red card, while Tyldesley were a very efficient side and 14-3 ahead at the break looked set for a good win.
“The fact that we only lost the second half 8-5, playing up the slope and with 14 men was one of the pluses to come out of the game.”
Tyldesley had looked very strong early on and went into a 7-0 lead with a try from Grant Paine which Ashley Worsfold converted.
Despite their problems in the forwards with Marrs’ injury and Thompson’s red card, Wigton were next to score with a penalty from Andrew Logue.
Wigton would have liked to get to half-time only 7-3 behind so they could have re-grouped and gathered their thoughts but four minutes from the break Tyldesley scored a second converted try.
Matt Ashe, a Kiwi who had pre-season trials with Workington Town and later played for Barrow and Blackpool, went over for the score which Worsfold improved.
Wigton responded well at the start of the second-half when both Richard Moffatt and Chris Pattinson went close and they provided Tyldesley with a scare when John Story got over for a debut try. It was a good effort by the Cumbrians with back-row forward Andy Brown in outstanding form. But the pressure on 14 men told in the closing stages as Tyldesley pulled away.
Paine went in for his second try and Worsfold added a penalty late in the game.
There was a special moment for Wigton’s Colts captain Gregg Smith who joined the action as a replacement for the last ten minutes to get his first taste of senior rugby.
property
motors
jobs
date