Carlisle, like other clubs across England, will be hoping to spend the afternoon celebrating a World Cup triumph tomorrow.

With no league games played across the country, it’s a chance for the local rugby clubs to be the centre of their communities and, if England win, it should be a day to remember for them.

There was a suggestion that Carlisle could have played their County Cup semi-final against Keswick tonight, but that has been conceded by the Lakes side.

Keswick are bottom of North One West without a point and have a crop of injuries, having to draft in a crop of youngsters above the level they would have preferred to blood them.

So it’s perhaps understandable that Keswick have, in fact, forfeited the game.

Carlisle won’t be back in action until November 9 when they will play Wirral at Warwick Road.

With home advantage, against a side currently lying second bottom, Carlisle will expect to win that, although they did lose to the side who were next to the bottom last Saturday. They went down 44-20 at Alnwick so came home without a point, a familiar feeling now on their travels and one they will quickly want to change.

Carlisle are top of the bottom seven at the moment with 15 points but Wirral, lying 13th, have 12 points and there is really only Ilkley (6pts) who are threatened with being cut adrift.

At Alnwick the Cumbrians trailed 12-10 at the break and briefly went in front with a Grant Connon penalty before losing ground.

In the end Connon scored all their points with two tries, two penalties and two conversions.

Carlisle have suffered a number of injuries in recent weeks and Dan Holmes joined the list when he was carried-off early on with a serious ankle problem.

The two-week break before the visit of Wirral should enable some of those to be fit again.

Penrith won their Match of the Day in North One West beating Birkenhead Park 37-30 in a Winters Park thriller.

The two have met on several occasions over the years and have all followed the same pattern - the cut and thrust of the Penrith three-quarters against the strength and drive of the visitors’ combative pack.

After conceding the opening try Penrith had a purple patch of 10 minutes where they scored four tries through Jay Rossi (2), Brook Birley and Ollie Gutteridge.

Prop Will Morgan,who has taken over kicking duties for Penrith added a penalty and at half-time they led 27-19.

Birley and Fraser Nicholson added second-half tries but Park were always in touch and a last minute penalty assured them of a second bonus point.

It was good enough to keep them a point above Penrith in the table as they trail leaders Wilmslow by two and three points respectively.

Just under half of Keswick’s senior squad were unavailable through injury and a number of younger and less experienced players stepped up against Northwich.

Quite a number of those were in the pack so they were very much up against it with opponents Northwich lying fifth in the table.

It was always tough going although Keswick did enjoy little spells of pressure and in the second-half they scored two tries by Ryan Weir and Joe Bagnall, with one conversion from Lewis Bell.

With the County Cup tie conceded, Keswick will hope to have some of those injured players back by November 9 when they travel to Altrincham Kersal who are mid-table, winning half of their eight games.

In North Two West Aspatria’s game at Sefton was postponed because of a waterlogged pitch.

But the Black Reds will be in action tomorrow as they will be travelling to Kirkby Lonsdale after watching the World Cup final to contest their semi-final in the County Cup - hopefully inspired by what they have seen live from Japan.

They have a number of injury issues, some long term but hope that a couple who would not have played at Sefton, will be ready for the County Cup.

Wigton continue to make strong progress in the Cumbria League and after their seventh straight win are second to Cockermouth.

They beat Upper Eden 43-24 at Lowmoor Road, a fitting way for lock Robert Marrs to celebrate his 300th game for the club.

He didn’t get on the score sheet but had a typically hard-working game in the pack against an Upper Eden side which showed plenty of spirit and ability.

The Wigton tries came from Stephen Harris (2), Elliott Armstrong (2), Josh Leeson, Mark Trow and skipper John Story. Leeson landed four conversions.

Wigton are now the highest scorers in the Cumbria League and are level on points with Cockermouth after both have played eight games.

Creighton lost 38-12 at home to Egremont while Carlisle Crusaders were beaten 22-5 at Millom.