Mens 1st XV
Matches
Sat 28 Sep 2019  ·  North One West
Keswick Rugby Football Club
Mens 1st XV
0
36
Douglas (I.O.M.)
Keswick 0 Douglas 36

Keswick 0 Douglas 36

Frank Hewett-Smith29 Sep 2019 - 11:29
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An improving performance by a young team

Keswick First XV hosted Douglas from the Isle of Man on Saturday at Davidson Park in a match sponsored by Brownriggs Coaches, where a shortage of availability allowed some untried players to take the field in this Prague autumn. The Second XV match at Littleborough had to be conceded due to the shortage of players.

After the overnight rain it was a relief to see the the pitch had drained well and conditions were good. Douglas kicked off and immediately regained possession, putting in the first of many attacks before losing the ball forward. It was soon apparent that when in possession Douglas would recycle the ball quickly, putting Keswick under pressure by the speed of their play and they proved difficult to bring down in the tackle.

The early scrums were fairly even but, needing to gain field position, Keswick kicked from hand and as not all the kicks found touch, were immediately back on the defensive. The Douglas running game was good, passing the ball wide and they were unlucky to make a forward pass in the Keswick 22 with the line beckoning. On 8 minutes a kick and chase saw a Keswick defender pushed off the ball but this was missed and Douglas were able to gather and score a converted try under the posts, 0-7.

Keswick attacked from the set pieces but met a strong defence that prevented them from crossing the gain line. A good attack on the right was stopped and when the ball was run left Douglas were up quickly enough to force Keswick back though occasionally they were caught offside. An attack from a line out saw forwards and backs combine well but the Douglas defence was up to the task, aided by some poor handling that saw the ball knocked forward. A second kick and chase behind he Keswick defence resulted in a run to the try line, won by Douglas, but their player knocked the ball forward in the act of touching it down and with the referee excellently positioned, be was able to make the correct decision.

Keswick’s defence was proving more resilient than it had the previous Saturday at Broughton Park and a number of promising Douglas attacks were stopped, on one occasion a number of drives reached the try line, but were stopped or held up across the line. The challenge for Keswick was gaining and keeping possession against an experienced and physical side. However, the half time score of 0-7 was a fair reflection of the relative strengths of both teams.

The Keswick kick off for the second half was returned by Douglas who won a scrum inside the Keswick half at which they were awarded a penalty. Kicking to the corner they won the line out before running the ball the width of the field to the left, then back right where, having created an overlap, they were able to cross on 44 minutes for an unconverted try, 0-12. Only another 3 minutes elapsed before the Douglas backs used some good interplay to break the Keswick defensive line for their third try, unconverted for 0-17. On 51 minutes Douglas passed the ball out wide for an overlap to allow their winger to score, again unconverted for 0-22. In only 7 minutes Keswick had leaked 15 points and a game that had looked winnable at half time was now effectively out of reach.

Scrums continued to be evenly matched and Keswick were able to disrupt the Douglas line out but gave away too many penalties which kept them in their own half making a successful attack more difficult. Good use of the boot got Keswick into the Douglas half where pressure forced the defence into making mistakes. However, players out of position stopped a couple of promising moves, with the first receiver being a forward who kept play tight when the need was for the ball to be moved wide to the wings. A good attack ended with a knock forward 15 metres from the Douglas line and from the scrum they ran the ball right, beating some loose tackles to score a converted try under the posts for 0-29 on 30 minutes.

A second scrum penalty against Keswick had Douglas kick to the corner where they won the line out and, aided by a missed tackle, extended their lead to 0-36 on 35 minutes with their sixth try, this one converted. In the last moments of the game a penalty allowed Keswick to kick to the corner where they mauled for the line and unable to cross were awarded another penalty, again kicked to the corner, however this time the throw in was not straight and Douglas and cleared from the scrum to end the game, 0-36.

Despite the score, this was a good Keswick performance with a depleted team that held out for long periods and were mainly let down by a 7 minute spell early in the second half. Strong in defence and showing promise in attack there is no doubt that Keswick are learning fast and improving with experience. The younger players who stepped up performed well and there is much to admire in the determination and character of the team. On Saturday Keswick First XV travel to Vale of Lune, currently sitting mid table with 2 wins from 4 games. The Second XV are at home to Oldham 2nd XV, kick off at 3pm.

Match details

Match date

Sat 28 Sep 2019

Kickoff

TBC

Competition

North One West

League position

9
Douglas (I.O.M.)
14
Keswick
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

1st XV Main Shirt Sponsor - Honister
1st XV Shirt Sponsor - O'Reilly Wealth Management
1st XV Shirt Sponsor - Podgy Paws
1st XV Shirt Sponsor - Syke Farm Campsite
Warm Up Shirt Sponsor - Raging Bull
Player Sponsor - Stephen Mandale
Player Sponsor - Davies Taxis
Player Sponsor - High Hill Ford
Player Sponsor - Greta Motor Bodyworks
Player Sponsor - Temple Sports
Player Sponsor - Geoff Benson Electrical
Player Sponsor - Simon Grisdale Removals & Storage
Player Sponsor - CBA Events
Player Sponsor - Brian Roper Plumbing
Player Sponsor - In Memory of Nobby & Maureen Clark
Player Sponsor - Twisted Magnolia Tap Room & Brew House
Player Sponsor - Keswick Kitchen
Player Sponsor - Inglewood Farms
Player Sponsor - Lingholm Estate
Player Sponsor - Present Moment
Player Sponsor - Asaya Thai Restaurant
Player Sponsor - Sunset Supper Club
Player Sponsor - Marilyn Grant
Match Sponsor - Brundholme Dental Practice
Ball Sponsor - Friars
Ball Sponsor - Keswick Travel