Keswick 20 - 8 Windermere

AN injury-hit Windermere side tasted defeat for the third time this season as Keswick scored all their points in the first-half.

Windermere made a spirited start and were awarded a penalty on half way. With a strong gusting wind behind him, Windermere’s Crawford struck the ball perfectly to put the visitors in the lead after seven minutes.

With a quarter of an hour gone and Windermere dominating the set piece, a Keswick centre broke a tackle and got himself behind the Windermere defence with a supporting runner which resulted in a try next to the posts. Keswick added two more penalties in the next ten minutes but ironically, just seconds after the second penalty was scored, a Keswick player was sin-binned for foul play.

With 45 minutes played, Keswick established themselves in the Windermere 22. Some desperate defence from Windermere seemed to be holding the attacking forwards at bay, but the referee blew for an infringement just half a second before a Keswick player crossed the line. The try stood, as did the conversion and the score at half time was 20-3.

The second half was a different story. In the first half, Windermere were unable to take advantage of the following wind, but it seemed that playing into it suited them better. Their defence was rock solid and they made good ground in attack with some good breaks from the wingers, some jinking runs from stand-off Hodgson and lock Benson picking and driving from the breakdown.

Keswick were completely shut down and couldn’t attack, but their excellent defence and some unforced errors in the red zone from ‘Mere meant that there was no score until the final minute, when a penalty gave Windermere a lineout about eight metres from the Keswick line. The lineout catch and drive was as good as it could be and the resulting maul stalled a few feet from the line. Harrison darted from the back of the maul and stretched to touch down wide on the left for his second try in two weeks.

The whistle went almost immediately, signalling a 20 - 8 win for the hosts.