The result was never really in doubt when Cumbria hosted Leicestershire at Egremont but the home side gave a reasonable account of themselves.

It finished 52-18 but credit goes to the Cumbrians for remaining in the game for longer than many expected.

As they had the week before in Durham, the Cumbrians faced a mammoth task taking on players who play their rugby at a much higher level than themselves. The Leicestershire players were also much bigger and much quicker.

For the first half hour, though, the home side confounded the critics and were well in the game. They made a spirited start and set their larger opponents back on their heels.

They took the lead when Ben Walker took a quick penalty and caught them unawares. The visitors could only halt the home team’s progress by conceding a penalty and Glenn Weightman struck it nicely for a three-point lead.

The visitors came back strongly and almost scored when they ran back a clearance kick. They only failed to score as the home defence killed the ball and, rather than the kick for goal, they opted for a scrum just five metres from the home line.

They won the ball cleanly but the home set scrum held firm but they then moved the ball, went through the phases and forced their way over, despite some dogged Cumbria defence.

Cumbria came straight back and re-took the lead. A break from Gary Hodgson from number eight set-up a smart show-and-go from Walker on halfway saw him use his pace to make it to the 22, where Stuart Storey was in support to score in the corner.

The visiting pack used their size and strength to muscle their way over after a penalty was kicked to the corner. They won the line-out cleanly and set up the driven maul that the Cumbrian defenders were unable to stop.

Cumbria then conceded two tries just before the break. A well-executed long pass put their speedy left winger away on the outside and his pace did the rest. Then, on the stroke of half-time, Cumbria had a drop goal attempt that was well wide and Leicester gathered it and ran it back.

With the home side set-up for the drop goal attempt, they struggled to get any defence in place and, as a result, they ended up trailing 24-8 at the break.

The game was killed-off in the first ten minutes after half-time when the visitors scored another three converted tries to put themselves out of sight. They then rang the changes off the bench, as did Cumbria and the game became disjointed.

This suited the home side as they were able get back into the game. They had never stopped trying but now they could compete again.

They scored a second try when Weightman intercepted a pass on his own 22 and was able to outpace the chasers to claim the try and then a third with their best rugby of the game.

They kicked a penalty to the corner, secured possession but the forwards were not quite capable of driving the maul over the line.

They then moved the ball where Tom Pickthall made a half break in the centre and Damien Armstrong up, from full-back, took a short pass off his shoulder and went in.

Leicester muscled their way over for a eighth try in the last play of the game to take them over the 50 point mark, but it had been a gritty show from the Cumbrians.