Last updated 19:40, Thursday, 08 May 2008

CUMBRIA crashed to a 38-0 home defeat at Kendal against Northumberland in their opening County Shield game.

It was an impressive performance from the visitors who are coached by former Aspatria and Cumbria coach Tommy Borthwick.

Cumbria team manager Mark Richardson said: “They were very impressive, especially when they got the ball wide.

“We stuck at it and showed a lot of spirit but weren’t helped by a few injuries.

“We had to re-shuffle at half-back because of injuries to James Gough and Paul Newton so in some ways, against a very good side, it wasn’t a bad effort.”

South African Heinrich Jonker, brought in for his Cumbrian debut, did particularly well in the centre.

Northumberland were favourites for the game on the strength of the superior level from which their players were drawn and they justified that assessment.

The match was a triumph for the Smailes family, with wingman Hamish justifying his trip north from Launceston with four tries while brother Jack, the Tynedale full-back, scored the other two.

Tynedale fly-half Gavin Beasley, who is a West Cumbrian who opted to play for Northumberland while playing and studying in the North East, landed four conversions.

Borthwick said: “The extra intensity we displayed and the extra pace we had wide out were the difference.”

Durham were also involved in a tussle against players from a higher level of the league pecking order and they went down 41-16 to North Midlands at Stourbridge.