The cup final that nearly never happened was finally played on Saturday on a glorious afternoon at Aspatria, holders and hot favourites Penrith retained the cup but certainly didn't have things all their own way.
They started brightly but not until after Carlisle had the first chance where their penalty shot from just inside the Penrith half drifted wide. Minutes later Archie Rattray set up a chance with a driving run from the base of the set scrum, the ball came to Isaac Murray at outside half and he beat his opposite number for pace on the outside, stepped back inside the full back and didn't have a hand laid on him as he went in under the posts.
Penrith scored a second try inside the first ten minutes following some driving play by the forwards just inside the city side's half, they pulled in the defence and when the ball was whipped wide to the right quick hands from Joe Kirkup and Matty Boustead got the ball to Nick Dudson in the line from full back and his pass to James Bent on the wing was timed to perfection and the young winger was away and would not be caught.
Carlisle's dominant set scrum kept them in the game as they won a number of penalties at the set play and also the breakdown which allowed them good field position in the Penrith 22. They had a a series of attacking lineouts deep in the 22 and were thwarted on each occasion, they had good possession in the 22 and were looking dangerous when Rob Coward was awake to a poor, telegraphed pass and took the interception to run virtually the length of the field to score under the posts.
The city side were on the attack shortly after and Penrith had the put into the scrum on their own line, Rattray broke from No8, broke out of the 22 to almost halfway and with the defence on the back foot the ball was whipped wide to the right and Dudson again timed the final pass and Bent showed the cover a clean set of heels.
With half an hour gone the holders were 26-0 up but Carlisle kept plugging away and were rewarded on the stroke of half time when they won another lineout from a penalty kicked to the corner and after a succession of phases bulldozed over under the posts.
The Winters Park men reacted immediately after the break and scored a fifth try, from an attacking 5m scrum on the right Boustead almost got to the line under the posts, the ruck ball was produced and George Graham spotted the gap and dived over under the sticks. They then as good as put the game to bed with 30 minutes to go, Coward and Dudson tidied the ball up after a kick ahead, it came to Boustead who almost jinked his way through the whole defence but when faced with the final defender had Graham on his shoulder who took the pass and sped under the posts.
The game then just drifted in the final half hour, the penalty count was said to be 35 to 7 in favour of the city side and that would be about right, that's more than a penalty every two minutes and would explain why a decent game of rugby struggled to develop. To Carlisle's credit they battled away scoring a second try from a penalty kicked to the corner and in the final play of the game scrambled over in the corner for a third try their endeavours deserved.
Penrith had retained the County Cup on a rather frustrating afternoon but all that's remembered in cup rugby is whose name is on the trophy and they got the job done.