KESWICK and Appleby played out an eight-goal thriller as the sides vying for the Bluefin Insurance Westmorland League did battle in the semi-final of the Westmorland Senior Challenge Cup.

Keswick drew first blood when a striker fired the ball in off the far post in the 25th minute, and Appleby were left to rue a missed chance by Dent when a cruel deflection squeezed the ball in off the far post to make it 2-0.

Appleby began the second half stronger and for long periods they pinned the home side into there own half.

On the hour mark Appleby were back in the game when a defensive error resulted in the ball dropping to Crawford, who slotted home into an empty net.

Coward had a good opportunity to level but after 70 minutes a great run by Sowerby saw the ball was fed back to Dent, who slotted home for the equaliser.

But the visitors then switched off and in a mad five minutes Keswick went 5-2 up through some very careless defending.

It wasn’t until the last five minutes when Appleby got some sort of shape back and finished the game strongly, culminating in Dent’s second of the game to make it 5-3.

But it was not enough as Keswick booked their place in the final, where they will take on the victors of the other semi-final between Kendal United and Kendal Count.

In the Westmorland League Division One, Lunesdale United edged out fellow relegation strugglers Staveley United in a 4-3 victory that lifts them up two places to seventh in the table.

Goals from Christopher Ellwood, Sidney Emerson, Jonathan Lowis and Ryan Robinson were enough to lift Lunesdale six points away from the drop.