Saturday’s local derby between Keswick and Aspatria live up to its billing by providing the 150 spectators with a thrilling game whose outcome was not decided until almost the final whistle. In excellent conditions Keswick kicked off deep and Aspatria’s clearing kick gave Keswick the put-in to a line-out close to the opposition 22 metre line. They ran the ball left and despite a good run Joe Quaill was unable to reach the line; the referee indicated a penalty advantage so Keswick attacked to the right for Ryan Weir to cross in the right hand corner for an unconverted try, 5-0 after 3 minutes.

Both sides seemed cagey this early in the game and made probing kicks to get better field position. A line-out to Aspatria near the half-way line gave them an attacking chance but they knocked on to give the game its first scrum. This is an area that Keswick have done well in this season and they continued to do so, dominating the set scrums through the game. A line-out to Aspatria was kept by their pack who mauled to within 10 metres of the line before releasing the ball to the right. Creating an overlap through the inside centre looping round, their right wing Grant Bethwaite was able to score an unconverted try in the corner for 5-5 after 10 minutes.

Another good scrum by Keswick, taking the ball against the head gave another attacking chance, with the backs running the ball well into the Aspatria 22 but possession was lost along with the momentum. More good scrummaging by Keswick kept Aspatria on the back foot and they had to resort to kicking, which was, in general, more accurate than Keswick’s. Both sides were mixing up their plays, attacking round the fringes, kicking through, passing through the backs to the wings or attacking through the centre. The end-to-end play made for exciting watching and it was good to see such positive play from both teams.

A penalty to Aspatria allowed them to kick for a line-out close to the try-line, from which they ran the ball left and chipped through. Keswick carried over for a 5-metre scrum to Aspatria. The defence held but shortly after, still under pressure, a clearing kick by Keswick was charged down, caught and run across the line for a try on the right on 25 minutes. The conversion attempt bounced back off the crossbar so the score remained 5-10. Keswick’s kicking continued to mis-fire with the restart failing to go 10 metres before finding touch so the scrum put-in on the half-way went to Aspatria. Won against the head, good progress upfield was stopped by a knock forward and Aspatria took the opportunity to kick to clear. The ball was caught and passed to Ryan Weir who made a good run but again poor handling brought the play to a halt. The next attack, by Aspatria, switching from left to right saw them cross the try-line only to be brought back for a forward pass. Again they attacked, gaining a penalty for off-side when there should have been a penalty the other way for clear holding back of a defending player. The penalty was converted to make the score 5-13 after 33 minutes.

An off-side penalty against Keswick was reversed for foul play, a punch, leading to a yellow card. Opting for a scrum, Keswick won another penalty and took another scrum. They might have been better off keeping the ball in the scrum as they were in the Aspatria 22, but they ran it left and lost possession as it was dropped. Cleared to touch, the line-out was won by Keswick who attacked again, kicking to touch and winning the subsequent line-out on the Aspatria 22. The ball was run right through the backs with Weir, Lewis Bell and George Holme combining well for the latter to score an unconverted try on the right, 10-13 as half-time approached. The final minutes saw Keswick lose possession from the kick-off and Aspatria put sustained pressure on the Keswick try line, however there was no more score and at half time it was 10-13.

The second half began as competitively as the first had ended. Attacking hard, after 5 or 6 attempts to cross the Keswick try line from close range, all defended very well, David Ray put in an excellent solo effort to drive Aspatria off the ball and allow Keswick to clear. However, the first success came to the visitors on 6 minutes as a good move by the backs on the Keswick 22, drawing the man, allowed their fullback to run through almost unapposed to score a converted try to the right of the posts to extend their lead to 10-20. Keswick attacked back, winning a penalty on the half-way line, kicked to touch for a line-out on the 5 metre line. This first attack of the half by the home team was halted by a handling error and Keswick’s next opportunity came from another penalty on the half-way line, but this time the ball was kicked dead and all advantage lost. As soon as they gained possession once more, from another successful scrum, Keswick attacked again, with Weir and Andy Muir exchanging passes on the right before Muir was able to cross the line to score to the right of the posts. He was able to convert his own try to take Keswick within 3 points at 17-20 after 13 minutes.

More good attacking play by Keswick followed as Aspatria seemed to tire and were forced to defend in their own half of the field. With the pressure mounting the home supporters became hopeful of overcoming Aspatria, something apparently not done since 1971. A scrum win after a Keswick attack ended as a knock forward in the tackle meant another lost opportunity, followed by another penalty. However, having opted for a scrum 15 metres out, Keswick were then penalised for pushing early, taking the pressure off. The next attack ended as an isolated player was stripped of possession, but with the amount of pressure Keswick were applying it seemed it was only a matter of time before they could take the lead. A penalty kick at goal by Aspatria was unsuccessful and the end to end play continued up until Keswick in turn opted to kick at goal from a penalty, also being unsuccessful.

More good attacking play by Keswick broke down through handling errors until on 34 minutes a kick return by Andy Wallace combined with Weir to run the ball upfield before an attacking maul by the forwards saw them cross the line for a try by Jamie Mckenzie. Again the conversion was missed but Keswick were now in the lead for the first time since early in the first half. All Keswick had to do was retain possession from the kick-off which they did well until a handling error allowed Aspatria to win a scrum to run some 60 metres upfield for their put-in to a line-out just 10 metres out. Winning the line-out they drove through the forwards and though tackled short the player was able to reach for the line and touch down for a converted try to win the game 22-27.

In a game that kept the spectators enthralled until the final minute, both sides scored 4 tries for a try bonus point. The kicking success rates were similar, with Aspatria missing one penalty and 2 conversions and Keswick also missing one penalty but 3 conversions, but also inconsistent in other kicks. Both sides were determined to attack, varied their styles and neither gave up. This was an exciting match and both teams showed why they are in the top 5 of the North Lancs/Cumbria League. Theoretically Aspatria could still top the league, but need to win their last 2 matches and rely on Keswick to beat top of the table De La Salle away on Saturday. Keswick could finish 4th, 5th or 6th, an excellent position to be in at the end of their first season after promotion. The club is doing well, with the successful second XV providing great support to the first XV.