FURNESS 24 v COCKERMOUTH 17

FURNESS continued their winning ways with a well-deserved Cumbria League Cup victory against a competent Cockermouth side.

This was a fairly scrappy game, but the result will give the Blues confidence they can pull off a back-to-back double over the same opposition at the Strawberry Ground this weekend.

Playing into the elements Furness began the game as they have done numerous times over the last few years by getting on the wrong side of the referee, conceding several penalties, which negated their otherwise good start.

Nevertheless it only took five minutes for Furness to have points on the board as Corne Els began a move that the backline quickly turned attack into defence. Alex Brown made a decisive burst into the line, setting up the ball on the visitors, 22 that was quickly recycled for Ryan Cunningham to finish in the corner. Adam Jackson was in imperious form with the boot all afternoon and made the resulting conversion look easy.

The resulting kick-off enabled Cockermouth to exert some pressure of their own, helped somewhat by Furness’ indiscretions and eventually they were rewarded with an unconverted try to cut the Blues lead to 7-5.

The heavy conditions underfoot should have suited Cockermouth’s bigger pack. However Furness managed to maintain the upper hand with the hard working back row trio of Els Joe Mallinson and Rhys Studt making important contributions in open play and they were ably backed up by the rest of the pack.

Steve Perry and the human pinball Tez Nueto posed the Cockermouth midfield plenty of problems and the Blues were rewarded for the endeavours as Mallinson crossed under the posts having taken a quick tap when the opposition were probably expecting a kick at goal. Jackson added the simple conversion.

The remainder of the half was a stop-start affair, with neither side managing to keep possession for long periods, and the home side turned round at half-time with a 14-5 lead.

The second half began much as the first ended, although Furness were just managing to shade possession and territory. Cockermouth’s defence stood firm and eventually they were able to exert some pressure of their own. One area they marginally had the upper hand was at scrum time and it was from a set piece close to the Blues posts that they scored their second try.

Referee Ciaran Trainor had no option but to award a penalty try as the Furness scrum succumbed to the pressure and the Furness lead was again reduced to two points. The home side showed no signs of panic and they were able to keep the visitors on the back-foot through the boot of Jackson and their willingness to run the ball from deep.

Matty Studt had joined the fray from the bench, adding fresh legs, and the backs continued to make inroads. Both forwards and backs combined well to send Brown over in the clubhouse corner with an hour of the match gone, and Jackson once more obliged with the conversion.

The backs very nearly added to their tally following another break from their own half, but the final pass from Nueto was adjudged forward directly in front of the Furness support, whose lack of reaction to the decision grudgingly proved it to be correct.

With ten minutes left on the clock Jackson kicked a penalty to give the home side a 12-point cushion.

Undaunted, Cockermouth strived to get back in the game and the last word went to them as they crossed in the corner with the final move of the game making the final score 24-17.

Strangely, the fixture fairies have decreed that Cockermouth are again the visitors to the Strawberry Grounds this week, and no doubt both camps will be analysing their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses in advance of the battle.