Not yet a “Must Win” game, as we were only three points behind Lymm who were in the final safety spot, but after nine points from two vital wins against Wimslow and Kirkby Lonsdale before Christmas, we had started the year at relegation threatened Vale of Lune, looking for another five points, and instead were well beaten. To be fair that was partly due to an excellent Vale performance, which I thought at the time was a springboard to them moving up the League, but they were to subsequently manage just one win and two try scoring bonus points.

The report described the team as having “a blend of youth and experience today from 1 to 15 . Billy Coxon in the no 1 shirt and Chris Park wearing 15 and the youth’s in between”.

Not a good start – in fact in his report, Bernard asked if I could find a time we were 0v7 down in less than twenty seven seconds. Alnwick kicked off, we failed to gather then ball, their forwards regained it, set up a drive, and with the referee signally advantage, their scrum half broken away to score under the posts, and they converted.

We then gave away a penalty from the re-start and were back defending, but held out then managed to mount an attack of our own from which Chris Park pulled three points back, with a penalty after twelve minutes, when an Alnwick player had been yellow carded.

Both teams had chances, but the next score took until the half hour when the Alnwick pack drove over from a lineout for a try 3v12, which was the half time score.

The second half continued in a similar vein, with both teams having chances, but defences holding out.

With just over ten minutes to play Kendal broke the deadlock. After illegally stopping a Kendal forward drive, a Alnwick player was yellow carded. We tried it again and it looked as if Billy Coxon was over, but the referee could not see if the ball was grounded, so gave us a scrum. After Chris Downham picked up but was stopped, however Kirk Chettleburgh scored and Chris Park add the conversion 10v12.

Kendal dealt with the restart, but the clearance kick was run back, and Alnwick set up camp on the Kendal line and after being held up once, went over to extend the lead 10v19.

In the remaining five minutes two penalties and a drop goal failed to hit the target and a good run from wing Myles Harrop was stopped close, so we came away with nothing.

The view was Alnwick had been just about the better team, but it had been a much improved performance to a week earlier, and results elsewhere meant our position did not change.

15 Chris Park
14 Nick Carlton
13 Dini Noyo
12 Danny Barker
11 Myles Harrop
10 Glen Weightman
9 Andrew Boardley

1 Billy Coxon
2 Robbie Collinson
3 Mark Irving
4 John Dervey
5 Dom Musetti
6 Steven Nelson
7 Kirk Chettleburgh
8 Chris Downham

Rep Matthew Kaye
rep Jack Lashley
rep Ben Dixon

11th January 2014
Carlisle (Home)

Initially skim reading the report, it looked an odd start. “outside half Glen Weightman, slotted over a penalty after eleven minutes. 0v3” – shouldn’t that be 3v0 ?

I then realised Glen was still in the dark blue of my adopted home city, and was not to switch to the black and amber of my adopted team until the start of the next season. From the report he appears to have had a rather a good game – but not the ending he would have wanted. His team were trying to claw back a nine point gap to safety towards the bottom of the table – which they eventually did achieve by seven points.

We came into the game after an excellent performance away at Warrington, which had seen us take a long unbeaten ground record, whilst Carlisle had got a draw at fourth placed Vale of Lune.

After Mr Weightman had opened the scoring on ten minutes, when we had been caught offside, it took until twenty minutes for Kendal to score, with one of Garry Holmes’ twenty three tries (in twenty two games) that season. We had been given a penalty, and then ten metres extra when the decision was questioned by a Carlisle player. Dan Lowther drilled the ball into the corner and the forwards did the rest. with Andrew Boardley adding the conversion. 7v3

Five minutes later, another Carlisle offence saw another kick to touch and another drive, but when this was stopped illegally, Andrew Boardley was given the chance go for goal. 10v3.

In first half injury time Carlisle forced a lineout near the Kendal line and drove over for a try which Mr Weightman converted to tie the scores at halftime. 10v10.

Nine minutes into the second half Carlisle had the lead. Does this sound familiar from last season ? “outside half Weightman totally fooled the .... defence, dummying a pass and sailing over for a try which he converted himself”. 10v17

Three minutes later Carlisle had a ten point lead as Glen added a penalty.

Carlisle appeared to be in total control. Excellent kicking to the corners was continually turning the Kendal defence.

A Kendal not straight throw from a lineout on their own line, gave Carlisle a scrum to attack, but this proved to be the first turning point in the match. Having earlier been driven off their own ball, the Kendal pack returned the compliment to win a penalty. This cleared their line, and set up a passage of play, which ended with Garry Holmes’ twelfth try of the season. This time reminiscent of past seasons, as he burst through the defence at pace from outside the twenty two, to score under the posts. Andrew Boardley put over the conversion to bring the gap back to three. 17v20

Any thoughts that Carlisle would fold were soon quashed, as they continued to kick into the corners, making us have to try to play out from our own line, on a sticky pitch.

A sign of the concern was when given a penalty, rather than look for a lineout drive, Andrew Boardley was given another kick at goal to tie the scores, but slipped and missed for the first time in two games.

The Kendal pack was however starting to get on top, and when with ten minutes to play Carlisle lost hooker Tom Graham, another having a good game, to a yellow card, Dan Lowther kicked for the corner. The pack set up a drive, but were held up by Carlisle, to be awarded a scrum when the referee was unsure if the ball had been grounded. The seven man pack was unable to hold the Kendal eight, and James Thompson touched down and Andrew Boardley added the conversion 24v20

The restarted was dealt with, and the team stretched the tiring Carlisle defence. Mark Carruthers made a break to the line, but again the referee was unable to see if the ball was grounded. Despite the Carlisle pack returning to full strength, it was no match and James Thompson and Andrew Boardley repeated the trick for a 31v20 win.

Kendal played their get out of jail card against a committed team who after looking like they could win came away with nothing.

15 Chris Park
14 Andrew Boardley
13 Alistair Thompson
12 Ian Voortman
11 Mark Carruthers
10 Dan Lowther
9 James Gough

1 Glenn Chesher
2 Duncan Green
3 Richard Harryman
4 Liam Hayton
5 Reece Tomlinson
6 Billy Coxon
7 Garry Holmes
8 James Thompson

rep Chris Evans
rep James Cox
rep Jordan Johnson

10 January 2009
Bradford & Bingley (Away)

I went to this game. An 11.00 pitch inspection meant I caught a train that arrived just before kick-off, but as I approached the ground, I was told, despite both captains being willing to play, the referee had decided the pitch was not safe.

This was our fifth postponement of the season (there was another to come). The Director of Rugby told the Gazette, the one positive was there would be no need to find pre-season friendlies next season.

We played just one home game between 29th November and 21 February, and the Board were questioning in the programme how you operate for so long without gate and bar takings – They should try doing it for (at least) twelve months

The game rearranged for 9th May was won by 68 points (we were still to play Huddersfield a week later – a rare winning end to a season). A reorganisation of the leagues meant despite finishing third bottom, Bradford & Bingley were safe, so I think their players with exotic names, who their supporters always claim are all Yorkshire men, had returned home. It did them no good as they went down a year later.

So instead a game from a week later -

17 January 2009
Sedgley Park (Away) Cup

We found ourselves away against a team from two leagues higher, who had included Ian Voortman in their ranks for four seasons, before he had returned to Mint Bridge, a season earlier.

The first shock was higher division prices, with entry £12 and a programme £2 extra – even their supporters, unable to use season tickets, were complaining.

Kendal started well with the wind up a slope, but soon saw the pace of a higher league back division and went 12v0 down.

Some excellent passing of our own set up a position for Billy Coxon to score, but Sedgley Park soon added a third try 19v5.

Kendal then got a second try from No.8 Craig Wilson, who was playing well, and scored from outside the twenty two. 19v12.

Sedgley Park added another try before half time for a 24v12 lead.

Early in the second half Sedgley Park add two more tries for 38v12, but still their No.6 decided he needs to tackle Zane Butler late, after he had kicked ahead, and had a ten minute rest on the side lines. The penalty was put to touch and after a few drives, Richard Harryman scored.

Kendal replaced Matt Gracie with Rob Aloe, and he had clearly spotted Sedgley Park were trying to play Barbarian rugby, and took advantage by intercepting a loose pass. Co-centre Ian Voortman did not have the legs to get to the line, but Billy Coxon was on the end of a passing move for his second try.

Their hooker decided whatever our front row man could do, so could he, and powers through, only to then decided to pass to a replacement to let him score

Kendal got an injury time try from Lewis Boyd try, but there was still time for Sedgley Park to score again for a final score line of 50v27, but the gap was partly due to conversions as they converted five of their eight, and we only one of our five. We also ran out of replacements and with six minutes to play had to bring prop Ian Ross on for outside half Dan Stephens, they had used seven (including Alistair Livesey, who later had a short spell with Kendal), we only seemed to have five.

To demonstrate what we had been up against, Sedgley Park’s next two matches were to be against Exeter and Leeds

15 Chris Park
14 Zane Butler
13 Matt Gracie
12 Ian Voortman (C)
11 Lewis Boyd
10 Dan Stephens
9 James Gough

1 Billy Coxon
2 Allen Martindale
3 Richard Harryman
4 Liam Hayton
5 Gareth Gore
6 Mark Wilson
7 Garry Holmes
8 Craig Wilson

rep Ian Ross
rep Rob Quarry
rep Joel Howse
rep Rob Aloe
rep Luke Jacobs

10th January 2004
Tynedale (Home)

By co-incidence the return fixture of the report from six weeks ago. I described it as “a really good game between two evenly matched teams, unlike the last weekend” when we had lost 37v3 away at Blaydon.

To even up the earlier comments about our “experienced” players, I said in my notes of the game “Adam Pate had returned to Barrow Raiders rugby league after his spell on loan, the kicking duties were taken over by young fullback Chris Park” - That was of course fifteen years earlier

Kendal opened the scoring after fifteen minutes with a try. From a scrum on their line Tynedale were expecting the Kendal pack to drive for the line, but instead the ball was moved quickly to the right, then back left where with a three to one the “second row” did not try to go himself, and got the ball to Luke Ladell for the try.

Too far out for Chris Park to add the conversion, despite a good kick, but he did add a penalty and Kendal took a 8v0 lead into half time having played with the wind, as they had in the away game – could they hold on again.

Kendal had injury problems losing two players before half time.

Jason Balmer who had only just returned after a long spell on the sidelines after a cut on his leg had been infected, chased a Mark Airey kick and put in a “bone crunching tackle”. Sadly it was his bones that got crunched. The Kendal medical team tried to repair him, to the irritation of the other six backs who played on without him, but eventually Craig Atkinson came on.

Then No.8 Adrian Bateson, who had made a quicker than expected return after dropping a breeze block on his hand whilst working on his farm over Christmas, was forced off (editorial in the programme, in which he was named in the team, had said he would be out of action for a couple of weeks – the danger of a deadline, being before the team is announced), and Liam Hayton came on.

As at Tynedale, they dominated the second half, but again the Kendal defence held strong, and their only reward was a penalty after seventeen minutes.

Their wing was often well up the field whenever Kendall attacked, and the view from the touchline was that kicks should be put behind him, to force him to stay back, but the team played safe keeping the ball in hand.

Going into injury time, Kendal still only held a narrow lead. After missing an earlier kick at goal, a kick was put to the corner, and the forwards drove over, although the try was credited to replacement wing Craig Atkinson.

So Kendal had come out on top twice in tight encounters with Tynedale.

15 Chris Park
14 Jason Balmer
13 Paul Dodds
12 Martin Armstrong
11 Luke Ladell
10 Dan Stephens
9 Mark Airey

1 Billy Coxon
2 Duncan Green
3 Richard Harryman
4 Dave Preston
5 Mike Capstick
6 Keith Robinson
7 Mark Bowman (C)
8 Adrian Bateson

rep Allen Martindale
rep Andrew Hudson (4)
rep Liam Hayton (8)
rep Craig Atkinson (14)

Chris Park played fullback in all four games. He made his debut earlier in the season as a replacement against Dudley Kingswinford, and started at fullback a week later away at Macclesfield. This was his fifth start.

Also amongst those making debuts in 2003/04 were Garry Holmes who played just one game as a replacement in the last five minutes at Waterloo, Andrew Boardley; James Gough; Allen Martindale and Simon Mullholland.

Chris and three of the others can be found in the 2003/04 squad photo, found on the front of a programme in September 2003 – but also used in the Centenary book at the start of the 2000-2005 section, which has a list of players if you are struggling to name them all

I got 26 of the 29 (if I remember I will list them next week)

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2003-04 Team Photo

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