Hawcoat Park To Host Kendal In Cumbria Cup Semi Final
Hawcoat Park will host defending champions Kendal in a highly anticipated Cumbria Cup semi final featuring a significant difference in league status.
The semi final draw has set up an intriguing contest between Hawcoat Park and Kendal, with the Barrow club earning home advantage against the current holders. Hawcoat Park finished as runners up in Counties 1 Cumbria last season and will be aiming to build on that campaign, while Kendal continue to compete at Regional One level.
The difference between the two sides represents two levels in the league structure, giving the fixture an interesting contrast in experience and current competition. Hawcoat Park have established themselves among the leading sides in Counties 1 Cumbria, while Kendal have continued to operate at a higher regional level and will enter the semi final as the team holding the trophy.
Hawcoat Park will be looking to go one step further after finishing runners up in Counties 1 Cumbria last season. Their progress in the competition has now earned them the opportunity to welcome Kendal to their own ground, where they will attempt to secure a place in the final and potentially challenge for the trophy themselves.
Kendal arrive at the semi final as defending champions after successfully retaining their place among the leading clubs in the county competition. They reached this stage after defeating Keswick 36 17 at Davidson Park in a repeat of last season’s final, having previously beaten Keswick 29 10 to lift the trophy.
The recent meeting with Keswick demonstrated Kendal’s ability to recover from difficult periods during a match. Keswick led 12 10 at half time and extended their advantage shortly after the restart, but Kendal finished strongly and scored three tries during the final quarter to secure their place in the semi finals.
Hawcoat Park also produced a positive result in the previous round, overcoming Kirkby Lonsdale 22 14 at home. Will Coles, Tom Roberts and Chris Burns scored the tries for Hawcoat, while Coles added a penalty and conversion, with Dan Lightfoot also kicking an early conversion before being forced to leave the match through injury.
The Barrow club had entered that match with a strong squad following their runners up finish in Counties 1 Cumbria the previous season. Several members of that side remained involved, while the club had also added new players ahead of the competitive campaign, giving them additional options as they continue to develop their squad.
Kendal’s route to the semi final has included another meeting with Keswick, following the two clubs’ appearance in last season’s final. That previous encounter ended with Kendal winning 29 10, while their latest cup meeting was considerably closer for much of the contest before the holders pulled away during the closing stages.
The other Cumbria Cup semi final will see Penrith at home against the winners of Wigton and Aspatria. Those two clubs are scheduled to meet in their delayed quarter final on Saturday, with the outcome determining which side will travel to face Penrith in the next stage of the competition.
Penrith have also experienced a change in league status, having dropped from Regional One East to National Two North. Both Wigton and Aspatria were relegated from Counties 1 Cumbria last season, adding another layer of contrasting league backgrounds to the remaining semi final route.
Both Cumbria Cup semi finals have been scheduled for Saturday, January 30, 2027. Hawcoat Park therefore have several months to prepare for the visit of Kendal, while the other semi final will become clearer once the delayed Wigton and Aspatria quarter final has been completed.
The Cumbria Shield quarter final draw has also been confirmed, producing a Copeland derby between Whitehaven and St Benedict’s. Whitehaven will have home advantage in that tie, while Carlisle will entertain Cockermouth as the clubs continue their campaigns in the county competition.
Millom have been handed an away fixture against Penrith seconds in another Shield quarter final. The fourth tie will see Workington face Windermere, although that match has also been scheduled for January 30, meaning the next stages of the Shield will take place across different dates.
The confirmed Hawcoat Park versus Kendal fixture adds another significant chapter to this season’s county rugby programme. With the Barrow side competing from Counties 1 Cumbria and Kendal operating at Regional One level, the semi final will bring together clubs from different points of the league structure with a place in the Cumbria Cup final at stake.
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