According to league position and with home advantage, Aspatria were clear pre-game favourites to maintain their unbeaten home record and make progress in this season’s Cumbria Cup. Eventually, they did just that but not before a battling comeback late in the game from Cockermouth almost snatched the honours.

The opening quarter of the game was regulation stuff. During this period Aspatria opened an early 3:0 lead with a penalty from Matty Irving who also rattled the upright with a later second attempt. During the same phase of play Cockermouth had opportunities to get the scoreboard ticking over but in hindsight took a couple of wrong options. Aspatria enjoyed a clear advantage at the set scrum and possibly conjured up more threatening field positions than their opponents but overall it was a relatively even contest.

It came as some relief to home supporters when Aspatria scored their first try after 23 minutes of play. A lineout was won just inside the Cockermouth half and suddenly from behind this Jack Clegg operating at scrum half darted through the arms of waiting defenders on a run that took him to the try line. A ruck developed and prop Jack Gaskell was able to inch the ball over the line for 8:0.

Cockermouth struck back with a successful penalty shot but this did not prevent Aspatria moving into a commanding position during the final 10 minutes of the first half. The second home try resulted from a defensive blunder that handed Aspatria a 5 meter scrum. To their credit the Wasps pack held the surge forward on the line but the ball was still in Aspatria hands and a quick pass to the blindside made it easy for centre Ryan Scott to barge his way over.

15:3 and the beginning of a short period of home dominance but Cockermouth’s aggressive defence was able to prevent any further damage before the halftime whistle sounded.

The same pattern of play continued in the second half. Aspatria used possession to go for tries but Cockermouth thwarted them at each and every turn. Despite this resistance Aspatria still looked in charge of the game and used penalties from Irving to widen the scoreboard gap to 21:3.

With the game moving towards the final 15 minutes it really looked as if Aspatria would see out the game with something to spare, despite all of Cockermouth’s attempts to disrupt the home game plan.

This was all about to change.

Around halfway Aspatria were awarded a penalty but at the same incident a fracas broke out involving the forward, mainly pushing and pulling. The referee had no choice but to act and duly yellow carded Aspatria’s Tom Gardner and his opponent. Before play could restart the referee was called to the touchline where his assistant pointed out that Gardner’s card should be upgraded to red. The penalty was reversed and this kick started a Cockermouth revival that previously had seemed unlikely.

Within a couple of minutes of the sending off incident, Cockermouth had rampaged upfield. Passes previously dropped found willing hands and hard runners. The last of these was ex Aspatria player Ian McDowell, rolling back the years and former team mates to score.

21:10 but another Irving penalty for Aspatria settled nerves and put in place a 14 point game with no more than 10 minutes to play. 10 minutes which belonged to the visitors as they mounted successive attacks. Eventually, one of these dragged home defenders out of position and McDowell darted over for a second try.

Minutes only left and at 24:17 Cockermouth now in range of tying the game and with Aspatria on the rack perhaps even a shot of taking victory. It was tense stuff. Aspatria could not escape the 22 as Cockermouth pushed to open a gap but the clock was now the enemy. The whistle blew and it is fair to say that Aspatria supporters and players were mightily relieved to hear it.

Cockermouth, adrift at the bottom of the Regional 2 North league should take heart from this performance. In league terms nothing is settled and if the Wasps take the intensity on show in this game into upcoming games they may yet have a shot at avoiding the drop.