Rugby Union

Published at 11:29, Thursday, 21 April 2011

EGREMONT clinched their place in the end-of-season promotion play-offs and also the final of the Cumbria Plate after a 51-10 home win against Creighton.

The Cumbria League clash served as a double header with the Plate semi-final and Egremont were emphatic winners in the end.

The victory confirmed Egremont as runners-up to champions Millom in the league and earned a play-off confrontation against Trafford MV. They are also finalists in the Plate, although their opponents still have to be decided.

Creighton attempted to attack from an Egremont drop out but a crunching tackle from Graham Temple stopped the attack dead and minutes later the same player caught a kick ahead by Greenslade before racing 75 metres for a fine solo try to put Egremont in the lead.

The second Egremont try came after Michael Burrow broke through in the centre and then spun the ball wide for Ian Pullin to touch down in the corner.

On the half hour, one of the visitors’ forwards was sin-binned for an illegal infringement. Shortly afterwards an Egremont three-quarter move brought Richard Postlethwaite into the line and he in turn fed left wing Chris Wharton who smartly beat the cover defence to score a try in the corner.

Just before half-time, Egremont scored their fourth when they set up a maul from a line-out on the 22 and after a series of pick and drives Martin Grealish forced his way over the line to give Egremont a 20-0 interval lead.

After five minutes of the second half Craig Peet broke from the base of a scrum and found Marc Long in support. He side-stepped through and put Michael Burrow in for a try under the posts, and Postlethwaite converted.

Then a break away by hooker David Hargreaves was backed up by Grealish who forced his way over for his second try and Postlethwaite again converted.

Shortly afterwards Temple scored his second try after he and Callum Huck cleverly inter-passed after picking up tackle ball in the loose.

With the score at 39-0, Creighton at last scored the try their efforts deserved through Simon Turner.

Egremont had a player sin-binned but this did not prevent them scoring two more tries through Quirk and Peet, with Postlethwaite adding the conversion.

By this time Egremont were down to 13 men and Creighton took full advantage as James Daplyn broke through in the centre and right winger Keith Dixon scored a try out wide on the wing on the overlap.

FURNESS are safe from relegation from North Lancs/Cumbria after winn-ing their crucial final clash with Whitehaven. Although it finished 29-0 to the South Cumbrians there was only one try scored but Darren Holt, the Furness player/coach landed eight penalties.

It was a relegation decider and both sides produced determined performances, so much so that there were a nu-mber of injuries and Whitehaven fared badly.

They lost captain Scott Henderson with a suspected broken wrist and North Under-21s forward Calum Rowlandson with a recurrence of an old ankle problem.

They also lost Scott Sand-erson with a severe head wound and Mitchell Dixon with concussion and had to finish the game with 14 men. In fact they were down to 13 for a great part of the final quarter as they had two players in the sin bin.

Holt kicked two penalties in the first-half while Whitehaven’s best effort was a kick at goal from Stephen McConnell which came back off the post.

Furness were the better team on the day and as Holt gradually pulled them clear with a succession of on-target penalties Whitehaven knew they were going back to the Cumbria League.

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk