In what was only their 6th match of the season, the U16s welcomed a large Carlisle contingent for the boys final home Mini & Youth (M&Y) fixture. Coinciding with Foodie Friday, there was a decent crowd and the quality on show from both sides kept them all enthralled.

Early on, Carlisle had lots of possession and had the Kendal boys under pressure, but their strong attack was met with an equally determined defence until the tenth minute where some great play saw Zak go clear and score with Riley slotting the conversion. Both sides gave their all, but whilst Kendal gained dominance at the lineout via some excellent steals from Conor, discipline was preventing us taking advantage. It took 15 minutes from the first score for the next try to come - great work by the forwards put Freddie over near the posts. Riley again with the kick for a 14-0 lead. Try as they might, Carlisle were struggling to break the gain line, being tackled hard and often in every area of the park with the back 3 of Jack, Cam and Isaac stopping the wide channels and Zak always looking for a jackal. Conor was lost to injury for a time and five minutes before half time we went down to 14 for a high tackle by Riley, but despite some really good play by Carlisle they couldn't make the additional player count and a relentless half came to an end.
The second half continued the intensity of the first with both sides working hard to gain an upper hand. Riley returned without the loss of any points and Kendal had some strong carrying - Tom and Harley especially making big dents in the Carlisle defence and Joseph chopping down as effectively as always. The ref was having to speak to both Captains to keep a lid on the game. After playing through pain, Conor was carried from the field due to an ankle injury and Iddy also departed through injury with Cam moving to 9 and our other Cameron taking his place on the wing. Pressure was telling and Kendal had Jonny sent to the bin for a late tackle, but 5 minutes later Riley broke through the middle to score under the posts. In the aftermath tempers spilled over and it took a while for order to be restored. A player from each side was sent off - Will taking one for the team despite not being the perpetrator. Another conversion by Riley resulted in a 21-0 lead but with Kendal having only 13 on the pitch for a while. Fresh legs, mainly from our very able 15's playing up continued in the same style and Kendal were holding their own despite being at a disadvantage in numbers. A few minutes before the final whistle strong Carlisle play finally breached the Kendal defence, scoring out wide, but missing the conversion. The final whistle rightly brought a loud cheer from supporters of both sides that were lucky to be there.

Our final home game and we certainly put on a show!
For the team, this brings to an end the M&Y journey of this talented bunch of lads. Many of this age group at other clubs have folded or merged; hence the lack of games this season, however this group haven't ever given up. They were the first Stingers section at Kendal and its humbling to see many from then still playing together, being ably joined through the years by all our other talented lads.

Our parents, coaches and manager have been proud of everything our young men have given playing for the club: especially the bond they have forged with each other, which you can see in how they play. We look forward to following them onto Colts and beyond.

Well done lads, great way to sign off M&Y.