North Lancs/Cumbria: Kirkby keep pace with Fleetwood (From The Westmorland Gazette)

North Lancs/Cumbria: Kirkby keep pace with Fleetwood

3:04pm Wednesday 11th January 2012 in Rugby By Patrick O'Kane, Senior News/Sport Reporter

North Lancs/Cumbria League
St Benedict’s 10
Kirkby Lonsdale 15
KIRKBY kept pace with leaders Fleetwood in testing conditions as prolonged heavy rain has rendered the St Benedict’s pitch unplayable.

The match was switched to the Copeland Centre ground and Kirkby took the points as they welcome Nathan Woof into the starting XV.

St Benedict’s lost number seven Gordon Maudling to the bin for kicking anything but the ball in the opening minutes and Kirkby took advantage with Lucian Morosan scoring an opportunistic try.

The wind blew the conversion away but a 5-0 lead was the perfect start.

A series of attacks were mounted and repelled in a ferocious tussle and a refreshed Maudling was lucky not to see red when he ran 20m to take a Kirkby player out.

St Benedict's were unlucky not to score from a lineout 15m from the Kirkby line when the ball was tapped back to the hooker, who was eventually bundled into touch by the corner flag.

Keeping the pressure on though, the hosts worked the ball back down to the Kirkby line and levelled at 5-5, with the conversion again missed.

Morosan was yellow carded as the match drew towards half time and Benedicts stole the march to take a 10-5 lead.

But Kirkby have been defiant this season and turned the game again when Morosan returned and whipped the ball to the left for prop Ryan Holmes.

Holmes ignored the options to his side, sold a dummy and cantered over to level, before Chris Ramwell added the extras for a 12-10 lead.

Kirkby’s superior fitness was to tell in the second half with large spells of possession in opposition territory but a Jack Konczynski try was disallowed with the referee judging him to have knocked on as he grounded the ball.

But a further Ramwell penalty put the game to bed for the visitors as they ran out 15-10 winners.

* Kirkby Lonsdale 2nds ended Fleetwood’s unbeaten run with a magnificent 20-19 away win in Division 2 North of the University of Salford NW Intermediate League.