Aspatria ground out win against Cumbrian neighbours to remain in the promotion picture

The Zebras stay bottom of the league ladder and looking increasingly likely to make a quick return to the Cumbria League.

In difficult playing conditions, the five points earned from the victory leaves Aspatria in third place, one point short of De La Salle.

Aspatria had racked up 196 points in their last three home victories and so the pre-match script predicted another high score against relegation haunted Workington.

Instead, a plucky Workington adapted well to the incessant rain that fell at Bower Park and gave the home side a thorough test.

The conditions that handling and passing the ball would be an issue for the full 80 minutes.

As the match progressed, the weather took away the expansive game plan that suits Aspatria so well and handed long periods of possession to the Workington forwards who knew their trade.

Aspatria started well enough as two penalties put them on the visitor’s five-metre line.

The catch and drive was superbly controlled by second row Liam Ridley and, when the nudge came, there was no stopping the black and red surge over the line, where hooker Mike Lister touched down.

The second try quickly followed after stand-off Jack Clegg cut through the Workington defence around half way and raced into the visitor’s 22.

Full-back Lee Tinnion and winger Jack Robinson joined in towards the line, where prop Ian McDowell took over and heaved the ball down for the score. Clegg converted.

Workington had yet to enter the Aspatria 22 but they had not lost focus or resolve and gradually came back into contention by slowing the game down and testing Aspatria with some powerful forward play.

They were unfortunate their first meaningful attack would lead to another Aspatria score.

The scoring opportunity was created by Clegg who robbed the ball from a Workington forward charging at him around the half way mark. An astute kick followed and Workington were returned to their 22.

The Workington line-out was destroyed and the ensuing Aspatria backs movement stretched the Zebras defence, first left then back to the right.

This allowed winger Grant Bethwaite just enough space to charge down the flank unopposed to score.

Only 18 minutes gone and 19-0 to the good, it looked a romp but it was the home side who began to struggle to contain Workington.

The visitor’s wily pack began to torture Aspatria with long periods of controlled possession.

The Zebras spent much of the remainder of the half camped within sight of the home try line but the vital breakthrough eluded them until the 35thminute.

A penalty was awarded in front of the home posts but Workington declined the points on offer and turned the tables on Aspatria with a well-organised catch and drive.

This was not initially successful but, with great patience, the pack tested Aspatria with pick and go tactics that finally succeeded to get the try and trailed 19-5 at half-time.

Within minutes of the restart, Workington should have recorded try number two but, with the line open, the ball was dropped and a golden opportunity lost.

Key home players Lee Tinnion and Gary Hodgson limped off the park to be shortly followed by back row Jono Burnyeat, so the Aspatria bench was empty with the best part of 25 minutes to go.

The contest became bogged down in midfield with a series of scums that appeared to take an age to resolve.

Moments of quality became rare but there was one to savour on 60 minutes, leading to Aspatria’s bonus point try.

Aspatria’s man-of-the-match Liam Ridley started the move with a charge from 40 metres out, taking him close to the try line.

A ruck of sorts developed and the ball was picked up and popped over the line by prop Neil Richardson for the important bonus point try.

There were long periods where nothing much happened.

Finally, home prop Graham Andrews was over the line but held up and, from the resulting five-metre scrum, James Ravell took the ball from the scrum base and ushered two defenders out of the way to dot down.

The big match in North Lancs Cumbria saw De La Salle stage a fine fight-back to pip Wigton 19-14.

The travelling Cumbrians started well and, after missing a penalty, continued to force their hosts into mistakes.

Following a line-out in the opposition 22, the Wigton forwards formed a maul and drove the Della defence backwards with Stuart Creighton touching down for the first try which Gregg Smith converted.

Then, a dropped ball on Wigton’s 22 was collected by the backs with Richard Moffatt running deep into the Della half, before offloading the ball to Smith who touched down for the try which he converted.

Trailing 14-0, Della started the second half very strongly, looking to get back into the game with an early try and they were rewarded after only two minutes with a try in the corner. A difficult conversion sailed between the posts.

Della had seized their chance and were totally dominant and only a resolute defence kept them at bay.

When Wigton did manage to secure the ball, possession was given away too quickly after a series of knock-ons.

The pressure was beginning to tell and Della forced a second try in the corner followed by another difficult conversion to level the match at 14-14.

Into the last five minutes it was Wigton who were trying to win the game with Della defending heroically.

The Wigton forwards set up two drop goal attempts but both efforts sailed just past the uprights.

The Della 22-metre drop out was gathered by the Wigton forwards but somehow the ball was wrestled from the maul and passed to the winger who ran 60 metres along the touch line to touch down for the winning try.

Down in the relegation zone, Upper Eden avenged the previous week’s defeat at Silloth by beating the Seasiders 33-10 at Kirkby Stephen.

Upper Eden are now only five points behind Trafford and still have a shout of breaking clear of the drop zone.