Rugby league: John Smith’s Cumberland League Division One

Last updated 10:44, Thursday, 08 May 2008

WORLD-CLASS athletes generally sit on the shoulder of their rivals until the final straight, producing the killer spurt at the very moment that an effective response is impossible.

Ellenborough Rangers have illustrated this season that they have mastered the strategy in their own sport. Rangers, faced with a daunting backlog of fixtures, have emulated athletes such as Seb Coe by overhauling long-term leaders Kells in the last regular game of the season to secure the John Smith’s Cumberland League Division One Leaders Trophy.

Elbra accounted for Kells 21-6 on Sunday night before a four-figure crowd, and there is little doubt that the title is richly deserved.

The home side owed much to sheer ability and hard graft, and coach Gary Murdock, in celebrating a first league leadership since 1998/9, was quick to praise two players in particular.

Second-row Paul West was in typically workaholic mood throughout, while scrum-half Eddie Robinson showed the kind of commitment that is a remarkable example to all other sportsmen by turning in a man-of-the-match display on the eve of his wedding.

Murdock said: “Eddie’s example tells you much about our success. I hear of players who won’t turn out for six weeks before going on holiday; by contrast, Eddie Robinson controlled the game after having played for Cumbria against Lancashire on Sunday and for us against Hensingham only two days later.”

Stand-off Steven Stoddart was another key figure, firing testing kicks in the first half that led to tries by centre Jamie Watson and Stoddart himself.

Stoddart added the conversions and a penalty for a 14-0 interval lead, and Elbra remained in the ascendancy against a Kells outfit that lacked direction in the absence of stand-off Ryan Robb. Stoddart kicked a drop goal, West notched a superb solo try, and the home account was closed when Stoddart landed a penalty as the game entered the final quarter.

Kells, who had two tries disallowed, closed the scoring when hooker Kevin Agnew crossed, loose-forward Tony Burns improving.

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