A struggle at times but job done !

Both teams came into the game struggling in the League with just one win between them from ten games, sitting in twelfth and ten positions, with Burnage the team Kendal had defeated, sitting between them due to their home win a fortnight ago against Kirkby.

Kendal were well below full strength with fullback Ignacio Cisint the only back in the same position he played in their last league game at Wirral, with Danny Barker, Glen Weightman, Mark Carruthers, Dini Noyo, Lewis Kincart plus the long term injured Ben Dixon all not available.

Kirkby had the use of a strong breeze in the first half, but it was Kendal who made the better start, with Kirkby conceding a string of penalties.

Finally Kendal got the break through after eight minutes from a lineout. Alistair Thompson gathered the throw and the forwards drove for the line with Dan Reid getting the touchdown. 0v5

Any thoughts this was going to be an easy victory, where quickly extinguished. Kendal failed to deal with the restart kick, which gave Kirkby an attacking lineout, and this time it was Kendal conceding penalties and Kirkby finally went for the points 3v5

Kirkby continued to have the better of play, but appeared to be fortunate with their first try. At a Kirkby scrum, the ball came out, and Jordan Johnson was penalised when he caught his opposite number in possession, but appeared to have done it legally. Then Kirkby were allowed to take the penalty quickly away from where the incident had happened, and used the confusion to go over for a converted try. 10v5 after twenty minutes.

Five minutes later Kirkby extended their lead with a penalty. 13v5.

All the good work was then undone. The Kendal re-start kick went to touch, but the Kirkby throw failed to find its target, and was scooped up by Barney Coxon, who made ground and when the ball was re-cycled, with the Kirkby backline out of position, Steven Nelson, playing in the centre saw a gap, and once he was through, there was only going to be one outcome, with a try under the posts for Dan Lowther to add the conversion and bring Kendal back to within a point, against the run of play. 13v12

The lead was extended again after thirty five minutes, with poor Kendal tackling allowing a break down the right wing, and although the player was eventually caught, he had two players in support who linked up for the try. 18v12

As the game approached half time Kendal had a piece of good fortune to bring them back to a point deficit at half time, with the wind in their favour in the second half. The wind caught a massive Kirkby kick out of their twenty two, and the ball rolled over the Kendal deadball line at the opposite end of the field, to bring play back. Kendal switched Steven Nelson to No.8, with Dan Greenwood in the centre. From the scrum Nelson went for the line, he was stopped but the ball was moved left, and there was a good run from Ignacio Cisint, who got the ball away then a pass put Dan Shorrock in at the corner, 18v17.

Kendal made their first changes at half time, with Joe Lashley and Liam Hayton coming on for Dan Greenwood and Barney Coxon.

Kirkby opened the second half scoring after four minutes. Kendal tried to attack from their twenty two, but it went wrong with a pass going astray. Kirkby gathered and moved the ball left, where helped by some weak Kendal tackling, they went in for an unconverted try, 23v17, and a first win and try scoring bonus point of the season looked on.

Kirkby continued to play well, but a handling error whilst on the attack in the Kendal half saw the gap narrowed yet again. The loose ball was gathered and Dan Lowther put a massive kick to the Kirkby line with Nick Carlton in pursuit. The ball stopped just before the line but all Carlton needed to do was tap it over the line and beat the Kirkby players to the touchdown. 23v22.

Five minutes later Kendal had the lead which they were not to lose. The forwards set up a drive to the line, and whilst stopped the referee came back from an earlier offence. Instead of going for touch, where the lineout was again struggling, not helped by the wind, and what appeared to be some interference on jumpers, Liam Hayton took a tap penalty to set up a drive for the line, with Dane Blenkharn getting the ball down. With the wind now in his favour, Dan Lowther added the conversion. 23v29.

Kendal made another replacement with Mattie Kaye taking over at scrum half from Jordan Johnson and shortly afterwards Dan Greenwood returned in place of Dane Blenkharn.

Another Kirkby error allowed Kendal to extend their lead beyond a single score. Kirkby had a scrum on their twenty two, but when the ball came out a pass went astray in midfield. Steven Nelson got to the ball first, and when the ball was recycled, Mckenzie Cousins, who had had a difficult debut was in support for the try, with Dan Lowther adding the conversion. 23v36 with quarter of an hour to play.

Five minutes later Kendal made the game safe with a two score lead. A Kirkby player failed to release the ball when tackled, and Dan Lowther was given the opportunity with the wind for a big kick at goal, and found the target 23v39.

With five minutes to play Dan Shorrock was tackled into touch and there were some exchanges between him and the tacklers, which escalated, (not for the first time), into a series of brawls between sets of forwards. The referee, who had had a poor game, missing a string of errors and offence from both teams, singled out Dan Greenwood for a yellow card. He may have been unfortunate to be the one single out, but was fortunate (as were others) that it was not a different colour.

Two minutes later Shorrock had the chance to get revenge in the right way. From a scrum, Steven Nelson made a break down the left, and when given the ball, with three Kirkby players between him and the line, Shorrock still managed to get the touchdown. Despite being so close to the touchline (and banking) that he had to remove a touch flag, Dan Lowther added the conversion. 23v46

Kirkby came back and looked for their bonus point try, but when Kendal turned the ball over, Dan Lowther sent the ball to touch to end the game.

Not a classic game, and with so many points coming from errors, it is clear why both teams are struggling.

Kendal got their tactics right in the second half, using long kicks then looking for Kirkby errors, whilst instead of attacking the wings where they had made ground, too often Kirkby players went for glory down the centre of the field, where the solid tackling of Nick Carlton, Steven Nelson and Dan Lowther, helped by their back row, meant little ground was being conceded.

Kirkby played well at times, but being so well beaten at home by another team from the wrong end of the table, who were missing many first choice players, suggests it will be a long hard season for them. With much tougher challenges to come for Kendal in the next few weeks, they have to hope some of those missing will return, but this team did what it had to do, and came away with maximum points and a resounding victory.

Not 100% certain on some of the try scorers so do tell me if I got any wrong

MAN OF THE MATCH

Steven Nelson

Put him in the backs; stick him in a No.10 shirt; make him play the full game; It doesn't matter, there is no stopping him, as Kirkby found out when it came to the important try late in the first half, and when in the second half, several players thought it a good idea to try to make a break through the centre, they found a brick wall in their way.

Just a few votes behind was the real No.10 (in a 24 shirt) Dan Lowther, whose kicking for position in the second half helped turn the game in our favour.

Another nine players got votes, in another high total, but all a long way behind Steven and Dan.

OTHER RESULTS

A few suprise results with Macclesfield taking Blackburn's unbeaten record, and Northwich beating Sandbach.

Not a shock but a warning for next weekend saw our next opponents score 90 against Burnage.

TABLE

Despite Macclesfield's excellent win, we go above them on a better points difference and stay within a point of Northwich.