WINNING SYMPHONY ENDED AS ZEBRAS FINISH ON FLAT NOTE

Workington's 15 match winning streak came to an end as they signed off their Cumbria League 2 campaign by going down 23 - 29 at The Ellis to runaway champions Silloth, who completed their 100% record with an 18th straight victory.

It was a match that the Zebras could - indeed, should - have won, especially as for the opening 20 minutes they dominated their opponents but in the end, poor concentration and Silloth's experience cost them dearly.

The match was barely 2 minutes old when Workington took the lead as Sam Robinson effortlessly stroked home a penalty and it got better on 15 minutes with an unconverted try following a quickly taken upfield punt which caught Silloth offguard and left both John McCrickerd and Tom Lawson sprinting hard for the ball, with McCrickerd throwing himself to touch it over the whitewash.

Having been pushed on the back foot for so long Silloth worked their way back into game with several dangerous runs into Zebras territory and their persistence was rewarded after 25 minutes as they reduced the arrears to one point after stretching the hosts' defence to breaking point before finally cutting them to ribbons by darting in under the posts to score their first try and set up an easy conversion.

Workington were clearly stung by this and proceeded to once again take the game to their opponents, but despite tireless work from McCrickerd, Lawson, Mark Murphy and evergreen skipper Andrew Bowe, they couldn't find a way through the resolue Silloth backline and after soaking up the pressure, Silloth hit back on 27 minutes as they again exposed slackness in the Workington defence to take the lead with a converted try

On the stroke of half time, the Zebras were dealt a hammer blow when a clumsy attempt to ground a high ball was ruthlessly seized on by Silloth, who proceeded to cruise home for their 3rd try and although this went unconverted, they went into the break 19 - 8 ahead.

Two minutes into the second half, Silloth wrapped up their bonus point with another unconverted try as their lightning runs and well engineered passing again left Workington flatfooted. But their hitherto relentless momentum was abruptly checked when three players received yellow cards in the space of 10 minutes for various infringements of play.

Following another well taken penalty by Robinson on 53 minutes, Workington managed to step up a couple of gears as they took full advantage and this paid off on 65 minutes when a successful line out was completed by Jack Todhunter crashing over the tryline. Robinson added the conversion.

But with all three players having done their time, Silloth were determined to keep their 100% record intact and 10 minutes from time a forceful driven scrum ended with them going over for another unconverted try.

Workington refused to give up and on 77 minutes exerted more pressure with a sparkling pass and move play which was finished off by Mark Murphy bulldozing his way into the corner, however Robinson was unlucky to see his conversion fall just wide.

The scene was now set for a potential grandstand finish as Workington pressed hard to snatch victory and they launched one last attack into Silloth territory but just could not deliver the final smash and grab.

Despite the result and the loss of their winning run, Workington can take immense pride in finishing second in Cumbria League 2 - which in normal seasons would have secured a promotion play off, but with league reconstruction planned it seems more likely that they will step up to an all-new Cumbria League alongside Silloth and several others, though nothing has yet been confirmed.

On a poignant note, the match took place on the anniversary of the passing of Zebras patron Alan Taylor and the match was dedicated to his memory, with The Ellis witnessing a fantastic turnout, of which Alan himself would have been both deeply touched by and immensely proud.

By John Hastings @ The ESG