[I]n Division One of the James Cropper Westmorland League Keswick have opened up a seven point lead after seven games with a 7-2 win at home over Shap. Shap have yet to pick up a point this season.
Keswick’s Richard Bannister opened the scoring on 12 seconds, and despite Shap’s Luke Fraser equalising two minutes later, and the visitors having a good fifteen minutes of end to end football, Keswick then took control of the game and two goals from free kicks for Andy Rigg and Richard Bell and a superb Karl Southern solo effort made it 4-1 at half time.
Keswick continued to dominate in the second half, and Keswick’s Alfie West headed in a fifth from the right hand side of the box on seventy minutes, and Rigg struck for number six with a shot from the left hand side of the penalty box. Rigg then made it seven for his hat trick when he ran from the halfway line and and chipped the Shap ‘keeper from thirty yards out with a left foot shot, with Shap picking up a second consolation goal from Tim Fraser. Even with three key squad members missing, and Bannister injured for much of the match, Keswick looked impressive.
Appleby kept up the pressure on Keswick with a 5-1 win over Ambleside United with Jordan Crawford putting in four for Appleby and Jack Overs the fifth, and whilst some way behind, Appleby do have two games in hand. Kendal County Reserves lost at home to the in form Kirkoswald who have won two on the bounce.
After a poor opening ten minutes, a Niall Renwick hat trick did the damage for Kirkoswald, with Brad Renwick and Cal Evans each picking up a goal too making it 1-5, putting Kirkoswald up into fourth place in the table. Sedbergh Wanderers lost 0-2 to Ibis, with the Ibis goals from Chris Ellwood and Daniel Postlethwaite, and Ibis move up to eighth with Sedbergh tenth. And Windermere SC triumphed 4-1 Penrith Reserves whose tun of good form well and truly ended as they sink down to sixth with the Mighty Mere now in fifth. Endmoor, who didn’t play, are third.
In Division Two, AFC Carlisle and Castletown Utd battled it out in a tough, close game which ended in a 1-1 draw as neither side took their chances. Castletown remain undeafted and in sixth place with their goal from the newly returned Lamin Cham. AFC are ninth spot. In an eleven goal thriller, Braithwaite lost by the odd goal 5-6 to Greystoke, leaving Braithwaite rooted to the bottom of the table and Greystoke fourth.
Carleton Banks edged another win, this time 4-3 over Ullswater United, leaving them top of the table, and Ullswater are down to seventh. After last week’s defeat to Keswick, Dent bounced back with a 2-1 win over Eden Thistle with Dent third and Thistle now fifth. Keswick Reserves went to Staveley Utd looking for a win but this match ended up a stalemate and a 0-0 draw: Keswick wanted three points and Staveley needed all three, but for very different reasons. Keswick stay second, now equal on points with Dent. Staveley are twelfth.
In Division Three of the Westmorland League, Ibis Reserves’ dominance continues, with a 6-1 win over bottom placed Penrith Town, with Mark Demonti, Josh Phizacklea and Dave Irvine each scoring a brace. Their nearest rivals, Kirkby Stephen, won by the same margin but away, with a 1-6 win over Langwathby United.Two early goals from Andy Lockhart and Craig Carruthers set the ball rolling. In the second half Matt Branthwaite then added two more, Andy Lockhart grabbed his second and Callum Holmes got the sixth for the visitors, with Langwathby picking up a late goal from a set piece.
Third placed Kirkoswald Reserves edged a 3-2 win over Lunesdale Utd, and the KO goals came from Rob Anderson, Adam Land and Luke Brown, and LUFC’s from Sean Boustead and John Wolstenholme. Fourth placed Endmoor KGR Reserves won 7-1 over Penrith Saints, and the KGR goals included a brace for David Clement and goals from Darren Huck, Jimmy Sill, Chris Ross, Luke Ireland and Sam Wilson.In the final two Division Three matches, Ambleside United Reserves lost 2-6 at home to Sedbergh Wanderers Reserves, and Wanderers’ Chris Ladds scored once, Mark Pickthall scored twice, and there was a a hat-trick from Elliot Oxley. Finally Burneside edged a 1-0 home win over Penrith Royal.
Sedbergh are now fifth, Burneside sixth, Penrith Academy seventh, Penrith Royal eighth, Lunesdale ninth, Langwathby tenth, Penrith Saints eleventh and Ambleside United Reserves twelth.
In the Smurft Kappa Cumberland County League, Premier Division side Silloth AFC took Division One new boys Crown Newlaithes in the second round of the Smurfit Kappa Conway Cup. It was Crown Newlaithes who took the lead with a 45 yard lob from Tom Freind that went over the head of Seagull’s keeper MaCauley Musgrave.
Silloth replied with a Calum Casson goal to make it 1-1 at half time. A second half Nico Watt penalty, hit low and hard into the bottom corner, made it 2-1 to Silloth and Lewis Mulla smashed a strong shot into the net to give Silloth a 3-1 lead. This was followed by two red cards (one for each team) after a heavy Lewis Little challenge, and the game ended 3-1 to the Seagulls.
Another Division One side, UniSun Athletic, took on the cup holders Workington Athletic in Round Two and were demolished 2-14 in an emphatic win for Workington. In a Round One tie, Division One rivals Gosforth lost 1-4 at home to Pirelli. Gosfoth took the lead, but a Andy Lewis right foot shot from ten yards out levelled the score, and then Lewis put Pirelli us 2-1 up with a header. Aaron Roberts scored next with a thirty yard half volley to make it 3-1 and a Jack Dickinson tap in made it 4-1 before Lewis then missed a last minute penalty (and the perfect hat trick). But Pirelli progress, and have a second round match against Wigton Harriers. Aspatria’s cup match against Windscale was postponed on Friday might with Windscale struggling for players.
There was just one match in the Smurfit Kappa Cumberland County League Premier Division and Cleator Moor Celtic beat Carlisle City 3-0, with Cleator Moor now in third place. Aspatria stay top with Wigton second, both equal on points. And there was also just one Division One fixture, and Whitehaven Amateurs went down 0-3 at home to Bransty Rangers whose goals came from Dan Fowler, Jamie Thursby and Ryan Cornish with Bransty now second in the Divisional table above Pirelli on goal difference, but Pirelli have two games in hand. Gosforth are top.