Furness 59 Windermere 7

FURNESS marched to a crushing win over rivals Windermere to climb above them in the Cumbria League standings.

The Blues were at near-full-strength, with the hard work from player/coach Dillan Taputu beginning to pay dividends as they looked confident and well balanced.

Furness started at pace and demolished Windermere in a first-half onslaught that saw both wingers score hat-tricks and the team cruise into a comfortable lead.

The game was only minutes old when Alex Brown fielded a speculative kick. He showed pace and elusive running to outstrip the Windermere defence and score his first of the afternoon. Adam Jackson converted for 7-0.

Straight from the kick-off, solid rucking from the home pack laid the platform for Brown’s second, with an almost identical score.

Next on the scoresheet was left winger Ryan Cunningham, who benefitted from a well-timed pass from hooker Chris Dalton to round the defence and score after 10 minutes . Jackson converted to make it 21-0 and Windermere looked stunned.

The visitors relied on some old heads to slow the game down and retain the ball. They successfully stemmed the flow of point, but in desperation to some some themselves, a tired pass saw the quick-thinking Cunningham pounce and show his pace as he ran in a try from 80 metres.

Furness were on top and Windermere found it hard to break down the home defence, led by Tom Brannon, who is thriving in his new position in the back row.

His pace and fearless tackling disrupted the Mere attacks and the visitors struggled to fine any pattern in their game.

Corne Els was his usual nuisance and another stripped ball from him provided the space for Brown to claim his hat-trick on 37 minutes, making it 35-0.

The back row were foraging for every ball and it was Els again who benefitted from a well-timed pass from Joe Mallinson to make ground before offloading to Cunningham, who finished off the move with his third try.

Windermere looked shell-shocked and Furness turned round with a 40-0 lead.

The second half could not have started any worse for the visitors.

A dropped ball from the kick-off saw the dominant Blues scrum take the ball, allowing the hard-working Mallinson to break from number eight.

A last-ditch tackle stopped him near the line, but a clever offload to the supporting Rhys Studt saw him score his first.

Windermere finally settled and focused on keeping the ball.

The tactic worked and the game rumbled along as conditions underfoot became heavier.

On the hour, a scrum against the head by Dalton, supported by hard-working props Leon Sweet and Paul Dean, saw replacement James Tyson score, following a pacey break by Sam Attard and Mike Backhouse.

Windermere would not give in and their rumbling tactics gained some reward. A catch and drive from the lineout collapsed and, somewhere amongst a melee of bodies, the visitors managed to ground the ball for a consolation try.

Furness were back on the offensive, with stand-off Jackson dictating play with timely breaks and clever use of the ball.

With both squads beginning to tire, a desperate kick from the Mere defence failed to make touch. Gladly accepting the gift, Studt set off on one of his trademark runs.

With elusive pace and hand-offs aplenty, he weaved his way through the Ambers defence to score his second. Jackson's conversion brought the entertaining game to an end.

Brannon received the nod for man-of-the match from sponsors Barton Townley, with Windermere stand-off Bertie Hodgson voted their best.

Furness have a Saturday off before the league campaign resumes in a fortnight with a visit to Carlisle Crusaders.