WINDERMERE kept up the pressure on Vickers and Upper Eden in the battle for Cumbria honours with this comprehensive victory over a workmanlike Keswick side at Dawes Meadow.

Final score was Windermere 34-Keswick7.

Keswick opened the scoring with an excellent try by winger Matt Bell, converted by John Hind after ten minutes.

But this score was very much against the run of play and though Keswick continued to pose a few threats with the ball in their hands, they finally wilted under sustained pressure resulting in five Windermere tries without reply.

Once again it was the Windermere forwards who laid the foundations as they dominated the scrums and won most of the loose ball.

Keswick with the heavier pack were shunted off their own ball three times in the second half and were forced to give ground throughout the afternoon.

For all their forward supremacy, Windermere had difficulty breaking down the solid Keswick defence in the first half and were not helped by some careless handling.

Eventually, however, things began to come together.

Chris Sansom chipped over a penalty goal to put Windermere on the score sheet and then in an increasingly rare Keswick attack, Roy Heslop was just wide with a drop-goal attempt.

The real turning point came after 34 minutes when the Windermere forwards retained possession in a series of drives which opened up the Keswick defence and enabled hooker Martyn Bateman to cross for a well-deserved try which put the home side ahead for the first time.

Strong running by Ian Balmer, Jeremy Wood and Simon Cole threatened to increase the lead approaching half-time but Keswick held out.

Keswick began the second half well but an interception by Jeremy Wood took play back deep into the visitors' half

The Windermere forwards kept on the pressure and Richard Rigg barged over for a try.

This was a foretaste of things to come and from a scrum which saw Keswick back-peddling furiously, fly-half Mike Procter snatched the next try, converted by Chris Sansom.

Keswick refusing to lie down, won a lineout on the Windermere line.

They won the ball well and tried to spread the ball wide.

Directly under the Windermere posts, however, Simon Cole intercepted a pass.

Keswick turned to give chase but it was no contest as the full-back coasted the length of the pitch to touch down under the opposition posts.

Chris Sansom added the goal points.

Windermere were still attacking in the closing minutes and prop-forward Martin Lord crowned a typical non-stop performance with the final try.

Sansom had been substituted by this time but Lord's fellow prop Danny Harrison ended an equally impressive display by adding the conversion.