Last updated 19:46, Thursday, 14 August 2008

PREMIER Division champions Netherhall have opened the new Tesco Cumberland County League season with a trophy.

The Maryport side beat the CFM Whitehaven Cup holders Aspatria 4-2 in the Charity Shield, the traditional curtain-raiser for the league.

The match should have been played at Workington’s Borough Park but was switched to Aspatria and played in awful weather conditions.

Aspatria were twice in front during the first half but tuned round at half-time 3-2 in arrears. Daryl Creighton fired Aspatria ahead but Will Heaney pulled Netherhall level.

Barry Pearson grabbed a second goal for the hosts but again Netherhall levelled, this time through Dean Scholey.

It was Heaney who gave Netherhall the lead for the first time when he converted a penalty just before the interval.

There wasn’t much in it during the second half but Netherhall made sure of the trophy when Scholey grabbed his second two minutes from the end.

The match was sponsored by the Combined Insurance Company of America and their £100 was presented to Macmillan Nurses, along with £55 collected on the night.

League vice-chairman Herbert Briggs said: “Both teams did really well to serve up a competitive game in shocking conditions.

“The league would like to thank the Aspatria club for taking the game at short notice and also the Red Lion for putting on a great spread after the game.”

The Tesco league programme got off to a bad start on Saturday as half of the scheduled matches were wiped out by the weather.

Matches at Aspatria, Parton Utd, St Bees and Bransty Rangers all fell to the heavy rain which battered the county.

A cracking game at Netherhall saw the champions defeat Salterbeck by a solitary Keith Anderson header in a classic game handled well by the officials and played in the right spirit.

Other premier league matches saw Longtown also winning 1-0 as Stuart Storey scored the solitary goal which beat Mirehouse and Cockermouth and newly promoted Frizington Whitestar shared six goals apiece.

Martin Thompson (2) and Lee Taylor scored for the home side while Frizington's replies came from Alan Blair (2) and George Close.

Silloth meet a rampant Whitehaven Miners who hit them for seven - Liam Monagen, Martin Thomerson (2), Tiny Harrison (3) and Ian Parker hitting the goals.

Division one saw one game as the other three were called off. Hearts beat new boys Wigton Athletic 3-1.

Fixtures Premier: Aspatria v Cockermouth, Fizington White Star v Cleator Moor Celtic, Mirehouse v Longtown, Whitehaven Miners Welfare FC v Wigton Harriers.

Division one: Carlisle City v Whitehaven AFC, Hearts of Liddlesdale v St Bees, Wigton Athletic v Parton Utd, Windscale v St Margaret Mary’s.