Westmorland: Sedbergh scare

Wetheriggs had the better of the early exchanges with Sedbergh forced to make a couple of goal-line clearances to stay at level pegging.

Sedbergh felt they should have had a penalty as Craig Gardner rounded the goalkeeper only to appear to be pulled down with the goal wide open.

Instead Wetheriggs then took the lead through and added a second after a contentious penalty in their favour.

A third followed for Wetheriggs via an own goal followed as Sedbergh then pushed on in an attempt to salvage something from the game.

Goals from Robert Close and Craig Gardner pulled the score back to 2-3, but Sedbergh could not quite find the equaliser that they deserved.

Coniston bounced back last week's surprise defeat by Ambleside in the best possible fashion, hammering Greystoke 9-0 with striker Tim Fletcher showing a golden touch for a four-timer.

Ironically, Greystoke might have gone ahead, but the visitors survived a defensive mix-up and they punished their opponents for pouring forward recklessly, even when trailing 3-0 after 10 minutes.

A 25-yard cracker from Fletcher set the tone and after he quickly added another, Glen Todd was on target to make it 3-0. Stuart Walker, who had a great game in midfield on stepping up from the Reserves, made it 4-0 before half time.

Greystoke continued in their gung-ho manner, and Coniston punished them with further goals as Fletcher scored twice more along with 16-year-old Adam McLennon, Paul Walker and Adam McGinley.

A memorable half-hour from Kendal County put the result against Ambleside United beyond doubt as they maintain the chase of Wetheriggs at the top of the table.

Four goals to the good after 30 minutes, County were never going to keep maintain that high standard, but it served as a demonstration of what could be achieved.

Once ahead, there was a flurry of goals with Peter Nicholls bagging the first couple and Jamie Close also netting twice before half time, and both players went on to complete hat-tricks in the second half.

County were indeed guilty of the old crime of taking the foot off the gas 10 minutes before half time and Ambleside benefitted from a poorly-defended free kick early in the second half, but it was a temporary aberration.

Substitute Ollie Wilson revitalised the effort. He replaced Craig Walmsley, who was nursing a hamstring injury, and scored with virtually his first touch, running from halfway and audaciously sidefooting past the keeper from 25 yards.

Nicholls and Wilson were on target again and Kris Clough, who relished the switch to a central midfield role, finished off County's tally with Ambleside, down to 10 men in the closing stages, grabbing a late consolation from another free kick.

Ibis are putting a good run together and a 3-2 victory - if a shade fortunate - at Windermere meant they have taken 10 points from a possible 12 to move away from the danger zone into seventh place.

Windermere had most of the early play on Saturday but Ibis held firm and went ahead with a breakaway goal as Gary Bowles' through ball found Chris Ellwood, who rounded the keeper to score.

Ibis lost sweeper James Todhunter with a torn hamstring and the defence was at sixes and sevens when Windermere's Jamie Parkin-son picked up a rebounded shot to slot in an equaliser.

Liam O'Callaghan restored the Ibis lead, firing in at the second attempt after good approach work by Andy Davis. But Parkinson could not be under-estimated and put Windermere on level term with s back-post header from a corner.

Ibis scored a rather fortunate winner when the linesman flagged for offside, but the stand-in referee ignored it and a Windermere player picked up the ball in the penalty area. Chris Ellwood slotted home the inevitable spot-kick and Ibis keeper Andrew Armistead made several good saves to deny opponents, who must have felt they deserved at least a point.

Appleby's John Coward hit a hat-trick as they progressed to the last eight of the Benevolent Trophy and a trip to Sedbergh with a 4-2 win at Lunesdale.

Appleby were second-best early on as Lunesdale took the game to them and twice went close to scoring. But it was Appleby who got the first goal, Daz Wilson intercepting and threading a through ball for Neil Dean, who set up Corward to hit a 20-yard shot inside the post.

Lunesdale equalised when Syd Emerson cut in and far in but within a minute Appleby had gone 2-1 up. Coward playing a one-two with Dean before finished in the corner.

A long kick from Lunesdale keeper Chris Mandale found Johnny Lowis, who beat a defender and rounded Crawford to make it 2-2 at half time.

Appleby went back ahead after 50 minutes when Dean headed home Josh Hall's free kick and then Coward completed his hat-trick, collecting the ball in the Lunesdale half, going by two players and shimmying past a third before hitting a 25-yard shot into the top corner.

Kendal Town Reserves manager Andy Major had to play for the full 90 minutes in their Trophy match at Keswick, where they went down 3-2.

"We are part of the biggest club in Kendal and it seems strange with the first-team resources we've got that we can't put out a proper side in this type of situation," said Major.

Keswick took advantage of opponents missing eight first-choice players to take a 3-0 lead, but produced a gritty second-half display with goals from Danny Rochie and Stephen Ellwood.

Results: Benevolent Trophy: Lunesdale 2, Appleby 4; Keswick 3, Kendal Town Res 2.

Div 1: Ambleside Utd 2, Kendal County 9; Carleton Rovers 4, Staveley United 0 Greystoke 0, Coniston 9; Sedbergh Wanderers 2, Wetheriggs United 3; Windermere SC 2, Ibis 3.

Div 2: Kendal Celtic 0, Wetheriggs Utd Res 2; Kendal County Res 2, Dent 2; Shap 5, Windermere SC Res 2; Ullswater Utd 1, Burneside 2.

Div 3: Peter Daws Memorial Shield, first round: Endmoor KGR 2, Braithwaite 3; Grasmere 7, Ambleside Utd Res 2.

Div 4: Langwathby 1, Greystoke Res 4.

Austinwren Cup, first round: Burneside Academy 0, Shap Res 5; Dent Res 0, Kendal Celtic Res 6.