REPORT: TOWN VS NEWCASTLE

Our Town men opened their 1895 Cup campaign on Sunday. Read the report.

Workington Town’s 1895 Cup campaign came to an end at the Fibrus Community Stadium, but the scoreline only tells part of the story as a youthful and heavily reshuffled Town side showed tremendous resilience in a battling 28–12 defeat to Newcastle Thunder.

Town fielded a significantly younger and much-changed lineup, giving opportunities to several players who stepped up to the challenge against a strong Newcastle side. Despite the inexperience on display, the hosts showed plenty of determination and fight throughout the contest, particularly during a difficult second half where injuries and setbacks threatened to derail their efforts.

Town began the match with real intent, a powerful early surge from Mason Lewthwaite from deep inside his own half lifted the crowd and suggested the home side were ready for the challenge ahead.

Newcastle, however, managed to build early pressure and forced consecutive drop-outs before eventually breaking through. Matty Foster capitalised on a clever kick from Cody Hunter to score in the corner, though the conversion attempt drifted wide.

The visitors added a second score just before half-time when Noah Whittingham gathered a kick through the defensive line to touch down, with the conversion giving Newcastle a 10–0 lead at the break.

The second half proved particularly testing for Town. Injuries to Evan Lawther and Spencer Fulton forced the side to reshuffle repeatedly, and Newcastle took advantage to extend their lead through Jack Smith before Bradley Ward added another shortly after.

Despite the adversity, Town refused to fold. The young side dug deep and began to find their rhythm in attack, showing the determination and spirit that the club prides itself on.

Their efforts were rewarded on 66 minutes when Jamie Doran produced a clever piece of play to send Grant Reid crashing onto the ball and over the line for Town’s first try. Jake Carter added the conversion to reduce the deficit.

Momentum quickly swung the hosts’ way and just five minutes later Town were in again. Doran’s kicking game once more proved crucial as he placed a delicate kick for Carter, who gathered and grounded the ball before converting his own try to bring Town back within ten points.

With the home side building pressure and the crowd sensing a potential comeback, an obstruction penalty halted a promising attacking set for Town. Newcastle capitalised soon after, with Brendan Santi crossing to extend their lead and ultimately seal the result.

Even then, Town continued to push forward, showing impressive spirit despite the challenges they faced throughout the match. The young lineup never stopped competing, applying late pressure against a Newcastle side that ultimately had to defend strongly to secure the win.

While the result sees Town exit the 1895 Cup, there were plenty of positives to take from the performance, particularly the determination shown by a youthful squad that battled through injuries, disruption and a difficult second half without ever giving up the fight.

We will now turn our attention to action this weekend as our Ladies side is kicking off their 2026 campaign against Bronte Barbarians on Saturday 21st of March at home at 2:00pm, while our men will return back to league actions against Dewsbury Rams on Sunday at 3:00pm also at home, as they look to continue building momentum within the squad.

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