Windermere survive relegation with losing bonus point (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Windermere survive relegation with losing bonus point

12:06pm Tuesday 1st May 2012 in Rugby

WINDERMERE needed just one point to survive and that is exactly what they got to stay in North Lancashire Division One next season.

The match ended on a sour note when Windermere lock Adam Hague broke his leg in a ruck, which led the referee to end the game early.

Before that, Mere got off to a shaky start after a mis-kick into the wind ended with a North Manchester scrum on the Windermere five metre line. They scored from this and on the half hour took advantage of the gale force wind and the pace of their full back to score again. When they added a further try before half time to bring the score to 19-5, the prospect of Windermere staying in the league seemed to be fading.

Fifteen minutes into the second half, Windermere won a lineout 20 metres out and a masterful catch from Wood, followed by a textbook drive put them in sniping range. Brown peeled off the back of the maul and crashed over close to the posts to make it 19-12. Holmes converted to put Windermere within seven points of their opponents which would give them the losing bonus point they needed.

With less than a minute to go, ‘Mere were awarded a lineout on the North Manchester five metre line and the odds looked good for them to score before Hague picked up his nasty injury.