Hawcoat Park renewed their rivalry with Windermere in Cumbria Division One last Saturday and came away from Dawes Meadow with a 22-10 victory after coming from behind.

The result maintained the Maroon and Whites’ 100 per cent start to the season after four games, but they were pushed all the way by a big, physical and workmanlike Windermere side.

The game could not have started any better for Hawcoat, as in the opening minutes full back Lewis Sayle fielded a long clearance kick in his own half before spotting space in behind the Windermere defensive line.

Kicking into this space turned into a perfect cross kick for winger Benji Platt to run into, beat the cover and touch down in the corner. The difficult conversion was missed.

The game then settled down and the next 15 minutes was a close arm wrestle as both teams tested each other out both up front and across the pitch as both fly-halves attempted to run the ball at every opportunity.

With a close contest taking place midway through the half, debutant Brad Marwood, who impressed at fly-half, took the opportunity to boot over a 35-metre penalty to extend the lead to 8-0.

Windermere then had a good spell of pressure towards the end of the half and when moving the ball out wide their backs found themselves in plenty of space to free up their winger to touch down in the corner, with Bertie Hodgson missing the conversion.

However, with the gap down to three points, it was game on for the second half and Hawcoat though they had extended their lead when Glenn Kaighan went in, but was judged to have put a foot in touch in the build-up.

The hosts then cranked up the pressure again midway through the half and took the lead for the first and only time in the game from a mistake in the away side’s line-out.

Hawcoat’s forwards looked to have taken it cleanly, but the ball ran loose and first to react was Windermere hooker Dan Harrison, who scooped up to score in the corner, with the conversion missed.

The Maroon and Whites responded strongly to this setback and with 15 minutes left regained the lead when their pack drove forward from the line-out and in the end it was Callum Ramsay who got the ball down, with Marwood’s conversion taking the score to 15-10.

Mere looked to hit back again, and it took a great tackle from Jason Milby to stop a counter attack in its tracks, before Hawcoat made sure of the win when they were awarded a penalty try after Marwood was pushed when trying to chase his own kick.