Saturday, 4th April 2009
The end of the season being nigh seemed to be a signal for two sides to serve up what was largely a drab encounter. As is usual nowadays, changes were needed to the Carlisle line up for a variety of reasons, but that is no excuse for some of the careless fare that was served up!
Anticipation - skipper Steve Stamper with lock Aidan Day and hooker Tom Graham.
Flanker Bobby Sherlock grabs possession at a line out.
The hosts fired the opening shots in this dour battle. They landed a penalty after two minutes and then added a converted try on eleven minutes, ensuring that Carlisle were going to have to battle hard to get anything from the game.
Gradually, Carlisle clawed their way into the match and following some great approach work, with full back Chris Harris linking well with his counterparts, he put centre Barry Earl through for a try on the wide left. Weightman fluffed the conversion but atoned within a few minutes with a penalty to close the gap to a couple of points.
Into injury time at the end of the half, Carlisle were looking better value at this point, but some appalling defending allowed Durham to increase their advantage to nine points, when Carlisle failed to clear relatively loose ball in their own twenty two area.
After the turn round Carlisle took the game to City and were looking a little more comfortable and afer five minute young tight head prop touched down at the posts for Weightman to increase his personal points tally - that has him second in the league points scoring table.
Carlisle were then forced to make changes in the pack, with lock Martin McGimpsey replaced Gareth Wylie when he retired with a foot problem. At the same time Aidan Day gave way to Nigel Arismandez. Scrum half George Graham left with an injury and wing, Ben Blain took over with Matt Rogers coming into the three quarter line.
All the changes had the effect of upsetting any momentum that the vistors had built up, although full back Chris Harris registered a try to give his side the lead at 17 pts to 20 pts. Again, going into injury time (of which there were seven minutes), Carlisle loloked likely to claim the points, but Durham were not finished! They had a determined spell in the Carlisle twenty two and managed a converted try to steal the game.
A Carlisle attack that failed to produce a return!
A moment of rare lineout superiority!
THE CARLISLE STARTING XV:
15 Chris Harris
14 Olly Barker
13 Dan Holmes
12 Barry Earl
11 Ben Blain (Matt Rogers)
10 Glen Weightman
9 George Graham (Ben Blain)
1 Steve Stamper (Captain)
2 Tom Graham
3 Matt Sheilds
4 Aidan Day (Nigel Arismandez)
5 Martin McGimpsey (Gareth Wylie)
6 Bobby Sherlock
7 Matt Charters
8 Lee Brumpton
16 Matthew Rogers
17 Gareth Wylie
18 Nigel Arismandez
MEN OF THE MATCH:
Matt Charters
JOINT RUNNERS UP:
Chris Harris
Lee Brumpton
