Kirkby Lonsdale 28 - Wigton 31 (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Kirkby Lonsdale 28 - Wigton 31

9:07am Friday 25th March 2005

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Paying for the penalty...

WITH the scores tied with five minutes remaining in the match between Kirkby Lonsdale and Wigton, the Kirkby captain gave away a penalty which gave the visitors a 31-28 victory.

After a series of breakdowns in which Wigton had been awarded the advantage, Anderson spoke to the referee who interpreted the question as dissent and gave the match-winning penalty.

Kirkby tried desperately to score once more as time ran out but could not find any reward for their efforts.

At the start of the game, the home side decided to keep the ball close to adapt to the soft wet pitch, and their drives took play to the Wigton line.

A penalty kick into the corner gave a position for Kirkby to launch repeated attacks at the line that all fell short until Storey found a gap and slipped the ball to Rawson for him to score close to the posts.

Hampshire converted for one of the best starts the side has made this season until Wigton replied with a counter-attack the full length of the pitch for a converted try.

The first-half momentum continued to swing between the teams as Rawson scored his second try after a Wigton defender was caught in possession and stripped of the ball. It was again converted by Hampshire.

Despite having the lighter pack, Kirkby were more than holding their own in the scrums, founded on a front row of Grove, Aynsley and Law.

But Wigton's counter- attacking skills continued to make space as they split Kirkby's defence three times before the end of the first half to leave the scores at 14-28.

More short, driving play in the second half took Kirkby to Wigton's line before full back Thompson gathered and went over for a try, converted by Hampshire, to bring them back into the game.

Confidence was flowing back into the home side as Storey once more found a gap and put Thompson through for his second score, which Hampshire again kicked to level the scores at 28-28 before the deciding penalty was given.

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