Workington Zebras are back on top of the Cumbria League, after a hard-fought victory over title rivals Egremont.

The Copeland side began the game in pole position in the league but after their 24-7 victory it was the home side who now have the advantage.

The damp, chilly and windy conditions ensured that there'd be no repeat of last week's try feast, but the Zebras were just as hungry for success.

They dominated from the kick off and it only took them nine minutes to open their account when persistent scrummaging was rewarded with Ross Cape thrusting his way over the whitewash for an unconverted try.

Workington increased the lead 10 minutes later as another driven scrum put Egremont under more pressure and David Wordsworth was on hand to snaffle the ball and touch down to score, with Scott Rooke converting.

However, Egremont began to recover and before long they were firmly entrenched in Zebras territory and 10 minutes from time their pressure paid off.

Kieran Halcrow got hold of a loose ball and blew a hole through the hitherto stubborn Workington rearguard to race clear and under the sticks for a fine try, easily converted by Josh Graves.

Into the second half and the match was now established as a genuine top-of-the-table encounter as both sides probed each other, eager to make the next move.

It was Zebras who seized the advantage on 53 minutes when yet another fiercely contested scrum resulted in skipper Andrew Bowe crashing over for an unconverted try to give the home side breathing space with a 10-point lead.

Three minutes later, Workington found themselves a man down when Gareth Short was sin binned for excessive handling, but Egremont were unable to use the extra man count.

They were constantly shut out by an uncompromising Zebras backline that clearly learned their lessons from conceding that try earlier in the game.

Soon after Short returned to the field of play, Zebras found themselves down to 13 men for the rest of the match following two further yellow cards, but once again Egremont could not take advantage.

Indeed, it was Workington who were the team most likely to score and in the last minute did just that.

A succession of driving scrums ultimately led to Wordsworth going over for his second try of the match to secure not just victory but also another valuable bonus point, with Rooke's conversion signalling the final whistle.

The win leaves Zebras four points clear of Egremont with six games to go, though third placed Keswick still have three games in hand. The clash between both the sides at The Ellis on March 19 may well be a promotion decider.

John Hastings