KIRKBY showed their class in a comfortable win at home to bottom of the league Wigton.

The Underley Park side ran out 29-5 winners to maintain bragging rights against their local rivals.

The scoring began when Wigton were penalised for holding on in the tackle before Kendal kicked the ball into touch near the twenty two metre line.

Kirkby drove from the catch before Ben Walker moved the ball out right to Dave Barton who scored.

Tom Pickthall converted to make it 7-0 after just four minutes.

Despite a period of Wigton pressure, which included a scrum on the five metre line, they could not get past the brick wall of a Kirkby defence and the danger was cleared.

The home side showed the visitors how it was done when they successfully drove over the try line after a scrum at the other end of the pitch.

Number eight Craig Galbraith was the scorer and Pickthall again added the conversion to extend the lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.

Kirkby had some control now and treated the crowd to some lovely passages of play in attack and also in defence including a notable piece of skill from left wing David Bird who dealt with a wickedly bouncing kick near the touchline deep in his own half.

Securing the ball, he stepped his opposite winger, made ground and then set the ball back in the ruck to maintain possession.

While things were going Kirkby’s way on the pitch those with an eye on the weather would have noticed that things were also coming Kirkby’s way overhead as the weather front ominously approached the town.

Kirkby extended their lead when, after a series of thrusts at the Wigton line, skipper Matt Hughes ambled over in the right corner for try number three.

This time Pickthall’s conversion went just wide and the score remained 19 – 0 after 34 minutes.

Before half time, Galbraith broke from the back of a scrum, took the ball up to half way and fed Barton who broke through a tackle into space and dummied the full back to score.

The conversion missed but with the the bonus point fourth try scored the job was, basically, done with the half time score at 24 – 0.

Chris Hewitt came on for Ryan Holmes at one and Martyn Knapton replaced Bird on the wing but there wasn’t much time for second half action before the ground was enveloped in darkness as the black clouds swept in over Underley Hall and a blizzard hit the ground.

Playing conditions were horrendous and Kirkby’s Sam Cairns picked up an injury and had to leave the field to be replaced by Richard Bainbridge.

Wigton did have their moments but the next score came Kirkby’s way again when, after pressure down their left, they spun the ball down the line and wide right for winger Harry Ralston to dive in at the corner.

Pickthall's conversion attempt failed again but it was 29 – 0 mid way through the half.

Wigton managed to narrow the gap with an unconverted try late on but the result was never in doubt and survival in the conditions was probably uppermost in the mind as the ref blew to end the match with the score 29 – 5 and five tries to one.

Kirkby’s Nick Edney was named man of the match.