Aldwinians 8 Keswick 13

On Saturday 28 April Keswick 1st XV played their final league game of the season, a re-arranged match away at Aldwinians, postponed from mid-March due to bad weather. Although Aldwinians were 4 places and 15 points below Keswick in the league, they had handed Keswick their first defeat after promotion, winning 27-18 at Davidson Park in September, a point they were not shy to mention in their match programme. Win or lose, neither side would move position in the table but that did not mean that this was a dead rubber.

With only a slight breeze to contend with, Keswick kicked off deep and Aldwinians return kicked to touch in their 22 on the Keswick right. Two quick line-outs followed before Keswick mauled forward, ran the ball left, were blocked, ran back right and won the put-in at the first scrum about 5 metres out on the right when a good run by Ryan Weir ended with a knock forward. An excellent shove by the pack pushed Aldwinians off their own ball and a pick-up and drive saw Jamie McKenzie cross for an unconverted try, 0-5 after 3 minutes; the penalty advantage being played was not needed.

Aldwinians restarted by kicking deep and an exchange of kicks ended with a line-out on the Keswick 10 metre line which Aldwinians won to drive 30 metres upfield before giving away a penalty. Keswick were proving slightly more dominant in the scrums and also won some opposition line-out ball which, added to some penalties that Aldwinians gave away, relieved the pressure, helped by some stout Keswick defence. The Aldwinians defence was of equal measure and despite giving up that early try were proving to have a well organised and effective defensive strategy.

Mishandling by Aldwinians gifted Keswick the put-in at a number of scrums but the referee was very clear in what he wanted and penalised the Keswick front row whilst also keeping the home pack honest under pressure. Aldwinians made good use of their number 8, who picked up and drove, usually to their tight-head side, either driving himself or exchanging short passes with his scrum half in an attempt to create a gap to attack through. Good reactions by the Keswick back row were needed to counter this threat. A penalty to Aldwinians for a wheeled scrum on 17 minutes allowed them to convert to bring the score back to 3-5. Having put all the pressure on the home side in the early stages, Keswick were now having to defend themselves, not helped by a wayward restart kick that brought play back to the half-way line for an Aldwinians scrum.

Both sides made promising attacks before losing possession, one of the best being a 60 metre run upfield by Aldwinians before the last tackle pushed the player into touch 15 metres out. Awarded a penalty, Keswick kicked upfield, won the line-out and attacked again, kicking through to win another penalty 10 metres out, accompanied by a yellow card. Kicked to touch the ball was lost at a the line-out and Aldwinians cleared. Both sides gave away unnecessary penalties, culminating in a line-out to Keswick on the halfway line. A good line-out take by Carrick Wharmby and runs from Andy Muir and Weir came to a halt and another heavily refereed scrum. The last few minutes of the half saw good attacks by both sides, met by equally good defence, making for an exciting, occasionally frustrating, spectacle until the half-time whistle blew.

Aldwinians started the second half with a kick deep, returned to touch for a line-out steal. Good possession was then lost before another scrum penalty saw Keswick kick to touch 15 metres out on the right. Unable to turn possession and position into points the pressure they exerted won a penalty 5 metres out and to the right of the posts. Successfully converted by Muir it put Keswick further ahead at 3-8 after 7 minutes. Both sides found that progress could be made by chipping through and chasing but with good defences out wide, the attackers found themselves tackled into touch. This was a game in which both teams were determined to end the season on a high and attack followed attack. A good break by Joe Quaill was followed by a lengthy stop for head injury assessments to 2 Aldwinians players, which together with other stoppages meant that the second half lasted 50 minutes.

The home scrum was under pressure and Keswick took advantage by holding the ball and driving, winning penalties but also making good breaks from the back. On one of the few occasions the Keswick scrum was out under pressure, in the Keswick 22, a one-handed interception attempt gave Aldwinians their second yellow card, taking the pressure off. A further penalty some 40 metres out and in centre field gave Keswick another kick at goal but it didn’t have the distance and Aldwinians dropped out to restart. Sustained attacks by Aldwinians followed until they were stripped of possession just outside the Keswick 22 and Matty Roper made a good run upfield before kicking through. It was now Keswick’s turn to attack but kicking too deep gave away possession and position. Having won a scrum on the half-way line, Aldwinians were stripped of the ball by Wharmby, who passed to Aaron Thompson, then to Weir, who with only 3 metres to work in, beat 4 tacklers to run in from 40 metres and score on the right, another unconverted try, 3-13 after 32 minutes.

Kicking deep Aldwinians put in a short period of sustained attack winning 2 successive penalties in the Keswick 22 before crossing from close range to score their own unconverted try on 35 minutes, 8-13. With both sides determined to finish the season with a win, the remaining few minutes were of sustained attack and Aldwinians were unlucky when, with the chance of an overlap in the Keswick 22, the referee stopped play for an injury to one of their own players. From the resulting scrum they made the same play but last ditch defence by Keswick saw the attacker lose possession as he got to the line. Brought back for a final penalty and needing a try to win, Aldwinians again lost possession and Keswick kicked to touch to end the game.

With a record of 16 wins, 2 draws and 8 defeats, Keswick have finished in 5th place in their first season back in the North Lancs/Cumbria League. This is an excellent result in light of fixtures disrupted by weather and bodes well for the new season. With the second XV also having had a good year, finishing second in the Cumbria Shield League, Keswick Rugby Club senior rugby is on good form.

Andy Muir coverts a penalty