The loss was at a ground where we have never won (partly as we have only been there four times, twice in relegation seasons, although this was not one of them). The away win came in a season where we only lost once in all competitions (we were involved in three).

The two home wins are slightly more unexpected. They came in seasons which ended in relegation, where we only won three and two games after Christmas. So the chances of finding two wins on this weekend were small.

3rd February 2018
Lymm (Away)
This was the season where Lymm found themselves at towards the top of the table, and came into the game in second, eventually finishing fourth. A season later they were battling (successfully) against us for the final non-relegation place.

Earlier in this season we held them to a draw, in dreadful conditions in the second game at the new Mint Bridge. Since that game they had only lost away to runaway leaders Preston Grasshoppers and Wirral, plus drawn with Billingham away, (both teams who rarely lost at home), and had a 100% home record. We sat in mid-table with seven wins and that draw from our eighteen games.

Already without Mike Fearon and Chris Park, there were late changes with Kris Bratton and Ben Leacock dropping out, so Dan Wilson came in on the wing for his First XV debut, with Brett Ashley moving into the centre. Will Montgomery moved into the second row with Ben Dixon coming into the back row.

Overnight rain meant the pitch was very soft, and whilst both teams wanted to play, the referee had warned he may have to stop the game if there was further heavy rain and it became unsafe, but fortunately the rain held off.

“Another” poor start and we were behind after just four minutes. A loose kick was gathered under no pressure by Lymm, and a crossfield kick saw the Lymm wing get into the twenty two. Whilst the defence got back, the move resulted in a try converted off the post.

We were soon back in the game, but despite plenty of pressure and chances for Dan Wood and Dini Noyo, we could not get over the line, and having weathered the storm, Lymm did that again after twenty five minutes to double their lead.

With five minutes of the half to play, we lost Will Montgomery to an injury, with Rob Weightman coming on for a very rare First XV appearance. Shortly afterwards Lymm added a third converted try for a 21v0 half time lead, in a half where the main difference between the teams was Lymm had taken their chances, and Kendal had failed to.

The team was further disrupted with Dom Musetti going off to be replaced by Jack Lashley, then Lashley was injured so Robbie Collinson came on with Garry Holmes moving to prop.

Collinson soon made a impact with two good runs setting up opportunities for Danny Barker. The ball was lost the first time, but the second saw Barker open the Kendal scoring with Glen Weightman adding a conversion, with twenty minutes to play.

Jack Lashley returned, but Robbie Collinson was soon back as Brett Ashley was injured and Ben Dixon had to move onto the right wing

It looked as if we had a second try. Lymm sliced a clearance kick from the left into touch on the right. Quick thinking by Mattie Kaye saw him gather the ball and take a quick throw to Jack Lashley who had an unopposed run to the line, only for the referee to call play back for the lineout (three years on, I still have no idea what was wrong !)

As the game came to an end Lymm had a spell of pressure, with a flanker looking sure to score only to lose the slippery ball, then they had an overlap but the ball went to ground. Fullback Nathan Wooff got to the ball first, and hacked it on, before managing to gather the ball, and fed Mattie Kaye, but he did not have the pace to get to the line and was forced into touch to end the game.

So despite the 21v7 scoreline, there had been chances to pull off a shock result, with what was a patched up team.

15 Nathan Wooff
14 Dan Wilson
13 Brett Ashley
12 Danny Barker
11 Mattie Kaye
10 Glen Weightman
9 Dini Noyo

1 Glenn Chesher
2 Garry Holmes
3 Dom Musetti
4 Ross McKay
5 Will Montgomery
6 Ben Dixon
7 Jacob Sutton
8 Matt Charters

rep Jack Lashley
rep Rob Wightman
rep Robbie Collinson

Robbie Collinson got the Man of the Match vote.

9th February 2013
West Hartlepool (Home)
The name “Kendal” on their fixture list should fill West Hartlepool supporters with trepidation. I think we have only met three times in the leagues (certainly in more recent years) and each time the season has ended in relegation for them. This time we were joining them, finishing thirteenth to their fourteenth, and were one of four teams they beat that season, in the game there.

We sat at the foot of the table, eighteen points from safety, our last win had come against Bradford & Bingley in late September, and since then we had lost to every team in the League, including West Hartlepool, who sat three points above us.

A good start and we had the lead after just four minutes. Scrum half Simon Davidson took a quick penalty, then Richard Harryman ploughed through the defence, for the ball to be moved to fullback Simon Mulholland for the try, with Chris Park adding the conversion from the touchline.

Ten minutes later West Hartlepool pulled three points back after Reece Tomlinson was penalised, and Kendal were temporarily down to fourteen as he also had an early yellow card (he had also got one on the away game).

After twenty five minutes Chris Park extended the lead with a penalty, when a long range penalty became easier as a West Hartlepool player decided to dispute the original decision.

Wet Hartlepool were still in the game and we were not helping ourselves giving away a string of penalties and losing lineout ball by throwing long (nothing changes !).

Dini Noyo and Jason Poleman were playing well and Dini was to set up a second try in first half injury time. A good run took him to the line but he could not get a pass away to centre Dan Lowther. From the scrum the ball was knocked on giving West Hartlepool a chance to clear, but from the resulting lineout Reece Tomlinson broke through and Garry Holmes got the try, which Chris Park was again able to convert from the touchline for a 17v3 half time lead.

Early in the second half Kendal were back to fourteen when replacement Adam Jackson, who had come on for fullback Simon Mulholland, was yellow card, but three minute later it was fourteen aside when West Hartlepool had a back row man yellow carded. The penalty was kicked to the corner. Liam Hayton took the throw and the pack used the extra man advantage for Garry Holmes to get a second try.

Ten minutes later rather than take a simple penalty the ball was put to touch and this time Richard Harryman got the try, with Chris Park again putting over a difficult conversion. 29v3

With maximum points seeming to be assured, we went off the boil and prop Alistair Livesey became the Kendal third player to get a rest on the touchline.

With six minutes to go West Hartlepool got their first try with a good passing move, and three minutes later had a second with a quickly taken penalty.

Fortunately the lead was big enough to withstand a late fight back for a 29v13 win, to move off the foot of the table. Unfortunately the gap to safety was unchanged, as Bradford & Bingley, in the final safety spot, also had a bonus point win at home to Penrith.

15 Simon Mulholland
14 Dini Noyo
13 Dan Lowther
12 Jason Poleman
11 Jamie Postlethwaite
10 Chris Park
9 Simon Davidson

1 Alistair Livesey
2 Duncan Green
3 Richard Harryman
4 Liam Hayton
5 Reece Tomlinson
6 Dan Greenwood
7 Garry Holmes
8 Rob Quarry

rep Ben Leacock
rep Dan White
rep Adam Jackson

9th February 2008
Darlington (Away)
I often mention this, but will do again. For what on paper was a season where we won 27 of our 28 games, there were times when it was far from plain sailing – and the end of this game was one. Fortunately we already had a big cushion at halftime.

This was the first game after the serious injury to South African centre Renier Bester at Liverpool St Helens, so Sedbergh School teacher Matt Gracie made his debut in the centre. Nick McKain was “unavailable” so Garry Holmes came in, and according to my report gave a Man of the Match performance. This saw him keep his place for the next game, with Nick starting on the bench (Nick had clearly been having his hair cut, as the photo in the next programme makes him look remarkably like Rob Quarry).

Darlington sat just two points off the relegation places with all three teams below them on identical points and significantly better points difference. We sat top four points clear of Huddersfield at the top.

We started well and it looked as if we would open the scoring when Dan Stephens put a kick crossfield to Chris Park on the left wing, but he was caught on the line, and when the ball came back it went loose, and was hacked upfield by Darlington. A Kendal player was penalised to allow Darlington to open the scoring after four minutes.

It only took a further three minutes for Kendal to take the lead, when the pack drove to the line for Garry Holmes to touchdown, then three minutes later Dan Stephens added a penalty.

We soon had a second try. No.6 Andrew Hudson gathered the restart kick and made good ground, he passed to wing John Ladell who went through before returning the pass. Hudson was caught on the line, but No.8 Mark Wilson was in support to score and Dan Stephens added the conversion.

Five minutes later a Garry Holmes run set up a try for John Ladell. From the restart Dan Stephens return kick was charged down, but this worked in our favour, as the ball went to Matt Gracie who made ground, before releasing John Ladell for his second try in two minutes. 27v3 after twenty three minutes, but there was no further scoring before half time.

A minute into the second half Darlington got their first try, with their wing chipping the ball over the Kendal defence and gather his own kick to score.

My notes said I was not really sure what happened for the next try. Darlington had a scrum on their line, and won the ball, but somehow it ended up in the hands of Garry Holmes who scored. With James Gough at scrum half, I suspect he had a hand in it somewhere.

It was at this point it started to unravel. We had already lost Richard Harryman at half time with Dan Bowles coming on. Fullback Hoani Moore had been hobbling from the start, finally decided he’d have to come off, to be replaced by Dan Murray, then Andrew Hudson had to be replaced by Rob Quarry.

After twenty five minutes we did score again with a try for Matt Gracie, then five minutes later there was a long stoppage when Gracie was injured and there were fears on the touchline of another serious injury. Whilst fortunately it wasn’t, having used all our replacements we were down to fourteen for the last ten minutes.

Darlington added a quick converted try, then Dan Stephens was yellow carded and we were down to thirteen for the rest of the game. Fortunately we were near the end and Darlington could only add another converted try to win the second half 21v10

Darlington was not a good ground for injuries. Two seasons earlier Garry Holmes had come on for Nathan Wooff (the official match stats say this was tactical – but seems unlikely with twenty minutes to play), from what was an all forward bench. The season prior to that with fifteen minutes to go, we had had to bring Liam Hayton on to replace Dan Stephens (in a game sponsored by “The Horror Channel” !). I was there but have no note of who went into the back line – but looking at the options I suspect it was Garry Holmes.

I had not realised until I re-read the ‘“View” from Touchline” from the following week’s programme, that that this was the game we had a (partial) “streaker” The report describes her as “the eye catching young lady performing in support of a charitable cause”. My recollection however (she had been in the club house (fully clothed) before the game, rather than from her on pitch activities), was she was of rather more mature years. The writer could have been generous, or it could be depended on their own age. Someone described me as “young man” last weekend – a title I probably grew out of thirty years ago.

There was no mention of it in my report, clearly I feared more visits North from my father, in hope of a repeat performances.

15 Hoani Moore
14 John Ladell
13 Matt Gracie
12 Ian Voortman
11 Chris Park
10 Dan Stephens
9 James Gough

1 Billy Coxon
2 Duncan Green
3 Richard Harryman
4 Liam Hayton
5 Gareth Gore
6 Andrew Hudson
7 Garry Holmes
8 Mark Wilson

rep Dan Bowles
rep Rob Quarry
rep Dan Murray

So from from Powergen North One at Darlington to Twickenham, in thirteen years for Mark Wilson – at least he was on the winning side that time.

8th February 2003
Newbury (Home)
Definitely a “must win” game, as we were seven points from safety and it was the visitors sitting in that final safety position.

Despite playing into a strong wind the visitors dominated the first twenty minutes, but importantly failed to score.

After twenty minutes they finally cross the line with their No.8 touching down, but too far out for the conversion.

This woke Kendal up, and almost immediately three points were pulled back with a Mike Scott penalty.

Kendal them took control, but like Newbury earlier were unable to turn pressure into points and had to settle for a second Mike Scott penalty to give them the lead, then he dropped a goal for a 9v5 half time lead. This seemed too little, playing into a gale in the second half.

We however continued to dominate, but could not add to their score.

Newbury finally came back, and the game appeared as if it was about to turn, as Mike Scott was yellow carded for a high tackle, and Newbury took the penalty to reduced Kendal’s lead to a point, then took the lead with a second penalty, after a Kendal player questioned the award of the penalty, brought it closer to the posts. 9v11

Mike Scott’s return, after what appeared to considerably less than ten minutes, swung the game back to Kendal. The stay on the touchline had done him good, as he switched tactics and started kicking into space.

In a nail biting finale, the forwards got into a position for a drop goal and Scott delivered for a 12v11 lead.

He missed another in injury time, but it did not matter and Kendal scraped home with the vital win, the first of 2003 and only the second since mid-October, which also prevented their visitors increasing the gap to safety. The fact the game had just the one try demonstrated why both teams were in trouble.

15 Steve Healey
14 Jason Balmer
13 Martin Armstrong
12 Ian Voortman
11 Luke Ladell
10 Mike Scott
9 James Hadwin

1 Dan Bowles
2 Ian Gowing
3 Ian Thompson
4 Keith Robinson
5 Andrew Hudson
6 Colin Wolstenholme
7 Mark Bowman
8 Adrian Bateson

rep Nigel Pearson
rep Dave Preston (6)
rep Jon Nicholson
rep Dumile Jihana