CUMBRIA were edged out of a pulsating and hard fought encounter with the lead changing hands several times as defending champions Surrey were pushed to their limits in defence of their title by a determined and skillful Cumbrian side at Twickenham - the home of rugby union.

Outstanding performances from Wigton's Alistair Ledingham at stand off and Kirkby Lonsdale's Ben Walker at scrum half ensured the Cumbrians were a constant threat in attack.

Kendal's Billy Coxon was inspirational all day at prop and the commitment from the whole squad meant the game was not decided until the very last minute.

Surrey opened the scoring after 10 minutes with a penalty but this was cancelled out by two from Ledingham to give Cumbria a 6-3 lead after half an hour.

The Surrey number eight received the only yellow card of the game for an illegal tackle but what should have been a period of advantage for Cumbria was turned on its head when Surrey were awarded a penalty try.

Normally these occur after a period of sustained pressure, several warnings and as a last resort, but this one seemed to come from open play and suddenly.

Surrey were attacking when the referee stopped play around the Cumbria 10-metre line and jogged back under the posts without admonishing any Cumbria player. The conversion was a formality and Surrey led 10-6 at half time.

As the second half progressed Ledingham reduced Surrey's lead to 10-9 with his third penalty but Cumbria handed the points back when they went offside in a kickable position to make it 13-9.

Then came one of the moments of the match for Cumbria when Walker picked up from the back of a Cumbria scrum just inside his own half and broke down the blindside on a dazzling run, stepping a couple of tackles until he was hauled down just outside the Surrey ten metre line.

Cumbria were sweeping up in support and recycled the ball to Ledingham, who jinked through to score a beautiful try in the corner. From the touchline he banged over a conversion any international kicker would have been proud of and Cumbria were back in the lead 16-13 with 24 minutes to play.

Surrey rang the changes and in the last quarter regained the lead with a try but in the now intense atmosphere, they missed an easy conversion to leave their advantage at a slim 18-16.

The game was on a knife edge with 10 minutes to play as each side threw everything they had at the other.

Cumbria attacked down the left and the forwards lay siege to the Surrey line, retaining possession through several phases but could not make the incisive penetration. A Surrey penalty relieved the pressure and the moment had gone.

From their lineout Surrey attacked and Cumbria went offside just inside their 22 with 90 seconds left on the clock.

Surrey, with extreme care, placed the ball on the tee and the final whistle went as it sailed through the posts to seal a 21-16 victory.

That's how close it was with the penalty try a crucial factor and the whole of Cumbria can be proud of the magnificent effort their team made on an historic Twickenham day.