Wigton 10 - 40 Kirkby Lonsdale

DAVE Barton and Jonas Thorson bagged a brace each as Kirkby Lonsdale won their first away game of the season in a convincing victory over Wigton.

The away side dominated throughout and took a 14-0 lead in at the break before adding four second half tries on the way to their third win of the season.

Skipper and number five Matt Hughes was absent and the injury list included two more pack members, second row Sam Chesney Benson and number eight Craig Galbraith.

Prop Ryan Holmes was deputising at two and winger Josh Pewsey was a late call up.

Ben Walker had recovered from his hand injury and made his first appearance of the season at nine and also for the first time this season the Kirkby midfield was at full strength with Dave Barton at ten, Jack Akrigg at twelve and Tom Pickthall at thirteen. Prop Tim Groves also made a welcome re-appearance during the game following a pre-season training injury to his jaw.

Wigton started brightly but their early pressure did not yield any points and Kirkby gradually worked their way into the game.

An attack caught Wigton offside in their own half and against the wind Barton found a good touch down his left and around fifteen metres from the home line.

Kirkby caught their lineout ball and drove, Wigton held it but Kirkby still had possession, the forwards broke loose and back row Stuart Storey took a slip pass to score by the posts. Full back Ryan Terry added the conversion points.

Wigton suffered a blow when their skipper Andrew Brown was carried off with a leg injury but by this time Kirkby were beginning to exert some control in the game.

This led to the second try when Walker jinked through from close range to score behind the posts - with Terry adding the points for 0-14.

Kicking off downwind in the second half Kirkby applied early pressure but knocked on when a move looked promising.

Kirkby forwards were threatening the Wigton line and after several recycles prop Thorson found a gap to dive through for the third try wide out on the left.

Wigton got on the scoreboard when their forwards drove over for a try.

Their joy was short lived though as Kirkby resumed normal service in the Wigton half.

Thorson broke a tackle to find himself in space, stepped inside a defender and ran again jinking the last defender and gleefully scoring his second and Kirkby’s bonus point fourth try.

Terry added the conversion to extend Kirkby’s lead to 5 - 28 as the match entered the final quarter.

Barton then added two late tries to put gloss on the performance before Wigton scored a late consolation try.

The day ended on a sour note when, in the last minutes of play, influential second row Nick Edney was hospitalised with a badly dislocated shoulder.