A bonus point win by Keswick 1st XV sees them at the top of the North Lancs/Cumbria League in their first season after promotion, as previous table toppers Tarleton were beaten at Fleetwood by a single point. Fleetwood, currently in third place, are Keswick’s next opponents, away.

Saturday saw excellent playing conditions with little wind and occasional rain. Eccles kicked off and the early possession was with Keswick, running the ball well but unable to clear from their own half. The first scrum gave a good indication of what was to come as Keswick won against the head, pushing Eccles off their own ball. Handling proved challenging with occasional knocks on by both sides and Keswick used penalties against Eccles to clear into the opposition half. One of these came after an excellent attack by Eccles which was met by even better defence by the home side to deny a scoring opportunity.

Much of the early play was in the middle of the pitch with neither try line under great pressure though Keswick had most of the possession. After 25 minutes the stalemate was broken when a line-out win was followed by a scrum win, for the backs to be released and for Weir to outpace his opposing winger and cross for the first try, converted by Muir for a 7-0 lead. A poor restart returned possession to Keswick who used the ball well, kicking for the corners and driving for the line. After a succession of penalties for offside and other offences, an Eccles player was yellow carded for collapsing a maul after 33 minutes. A good kick to the corner by Muir from the penalty was followed by a rare line-out loss and an Eccles scrum. Despite bringing on 2 front row replacements the Eccles scrum was still on the back foot and a hasty clearance kick from behind their line was charged down. However, they regained possession and successfully cleared their line at the second attempt, only to gift the ball to the Keswick backs, who gave it to Vaillant, whose mazy running through a number of tackles ended with him scoring by touching the ball down against the left-hand upright. An excellent try, converted once again by Muir who must have bought a new pair of boots. In the few minutes before half time Keswick came close again, but at the break it was still 14-0 to Keswick.

The second half began with a long kick to keep Eccles deep in their own half. Good line-out possession by the forwards allowed them a choice of driving mauls or releasing the backs, keeping the opposition off guard. A further line-out win after a penalty released the backs again for Holme to show his strength by crossing for a try whilst taking 2 Eccles tacklers with him. Again converted by Muir for 21-0 only 3 minutes into the half. It would be easy to think that Eccles were not difficult opposition but far from it. Though their pack was no match for Keswick’s, their backs ran well, showing good pace and they were quick to retain or overturn possession at the breakdown. They made some excellent breaks, especially down the wings that put the Keswick defence to the test. The Keswick backs kicked well to the corners and a number of promising moves by both sides ended frustratingly with a knock-on. When they did win clean line-out ball Eccles used their backs well and were unlucky on a couple of occasions to transgress and lose possession.

Good pressure by Keswick kept Eccles in their own half for much of the time, winning scrums against the head and disrupting the opposition line-out. The improved Eccles defence looked like denying Keswick a bonus point, however, a fumbled Keswick line-out resulted in a scrum to Eccles which they lost as Keswick drove over the ball, winning a penalty advantage that was not needed as the backs ran the ball right for Weir to cross for his second try. Again Muir converted and the final whistle went immediately for an excellent 28-0 bonus point win for Keswick.

This was a spirited performance showing good strength in attack and solid qualities in defence against a team that refused to accept defeat and competed well throughout, though hampered by an underpowered pack. Next week’s opposition, Fleetwood away, will give Keswick a sterner test, their only home defeat being their first match of the season.