Carlisle won the North Lancs Cumbria local derby at Warwick Road by a wafer thin margin of 11-10.

The hosts were deserving winners, due to a fine display from their pack, who enjoyed the lion's share of possession.

On the other hand, few would deny Wigton at least a losing bonus point if only for the quality of their try.

It was a tense affair, as both sides were keen not to lose, and defensive structures meant a lot of the play was in the middle of the pitch.

Wigton started well, and within a minute, full-back Greg Smith had an easy three points on the board as Carlisle infringed at a breakdown in front of the posts.

It didn't take too long for Carlisle to even things up when Wigton strayed offside as Carlisle were putting the visitors under pressure on their 22m. Fly-half Jason Israel made no mistake with the penalty.

Neither side looked like they were able to break the game-line as they continued to probe each other’s defences, looking for gaps, without much success. Both sides were guilty of handling errors.

After 15 minutes, Wigton’s lock forward Mark Deans got clear from an interception but could not go all the way as the home backs got back to cover.

Carlisle's best try scoring opportunity of the half came in the final minutes.

Full-back Andy Glendinning fielded a clearance kick and set off on an elusive run back to the Wigton 22. However he sent a wayward pass to his left winger Ben Purdham and the chance was lost.

The only real opportunity for further points in the half was given to Wigton's Smith from a penalty out on the left, but the ball rattled off the right-hand post and Carlisle were able to clear their lines relatively easily.

It was Carlisle, though, who then took the game by the scruff of the neck in the second half and they were able to exert early pressure with a scrum just short of the Wigton 22.

Although both packs had been relatively even in the first half, it was Wigton that conceded the first scrum penalty as their front row popped up, leaving Israel the easy task of putting Carlisle in the lead from the resultant kick.

Israel then had a speculative attempt at another penalty on 47 minutes from 40 metres out in front of the posts and was unlucky as the ball dropped inches short of the crossbar.

The Carlisle forwards were beginning to dominate a tiring Wigton pack and another infringement ten minutes later gave Israel the chance at another shot at the posts, but his kick drifted right this time.

Carlisle were beginning to build possession and keep the Lowmoor Road side on the back foot.

As the ball was put into the left corner, pinning Wigton in their 22, scrum-half Matty Roper quickly recycled the ball out across the backline.

For the first time the Wigton cover defence was caught short and winger Dan Holmes crashed through in the right corner, despite the best attentions of a multitude of Wigton players.

With replacement fly-half James Telford just missing the conversion the Carlisle side were now a score ahead at 11-3 with around 15 minutess left, but it didn't feel like enough.

Wigton upped their game and pressed Carlisle back into their own half, looking for an opportunity to get back into the contest.

Strangely that came from a period of Carlisle pressure in Wigton's 22, the Grees fly-half David Hanabury put full back Smith into space at pace.

Leaving a trail of missed tackles by the Carlisle defence down the right-hand side, he was finally brought down in Carlisle's 22.

There were, however, enough supporting Wigton players to ensure replacement Arron Henderson had the easiest of tasks to stroll under the posts for a try, converted by Smith.

With five minutes left, there were fraught nerves among spectators and players alike, and both sides have recent memories of being denied by last-minute penalties.

However Carlisle kept their nerve, ran down the clock, and it was a mighty relief to the home support when Roper booted the ball off the park from the back of a ruck to end the game.