Another Hurdle Overcome

as if they had the game won at half time.

Josh Chaplow and Chris Park came into the starting line up for Phil Murphy and Damian Armstrong.

Kendal had a bad start. After Liam Hayton looked to have won the ball back, after Glenn Weightman’s kick off, Warrington stole the ball from Jack Lashley, and a long kick was put down field, using the wind that was in Warrington’s favour in the first half. The Kendal lineout was then lost, and as Warrington attacked, Kendal were caught offside in midfield, to give Warrington outside half Tom Wood an easy opportunity to open the scoring. 3v0.

Warrington continued to have the better of play, keeping the ball moving at pace, but the Kendal defence was up to the challenge. However when an opportunity came Kendal took it. A misplaced Warrington pass in midfield saw the ball go loose, and Zane Butler was quick to react, kicking the ball through and gathering to go over for the opening try. Glenn Weightman added the conversion. 3v7.

The lead was however short lived, and this time it was a Kendal error that gave Warrington the opening. James Gough uncharacteristically knocked the ball on when gathering the kick-off to give Warrington a scrum. When the ball came back, a long kick to the right touchline was gathered by wing Max Caldwell to score in the corner. The conversion was unsuccessful. 8v7

The errors and lead swings continued as this time a Warrington player knocked the re-start kick on, and when the ball was picked up by another Warrington player in front of him, the referee gave Glenn Weightman the opportunity to re-establish the lead with a penalty. 8v10

The re-start kick failed to go ten metres, and Liam Hayton gathered the ball and made ground, the ball was then moved to Chris Downham, but Warrington managed to steal it, and moved the ball wide. Somehow Downham managed to get across to make an attempted tackle on a player coming through the centre, but was laid out as the player bounced off him. Play continued with Warrington going from the halfway to the try line, before Kendal were penalised.

Play was then stopped for five minutes, whilst Downham received treatment. Whilst he had to leave the field, to be replaced by James Thompson, he was able to walk off with some help.

The penalty attempt failed, but Warrington stayed on the attack, and stretched the Kendal defence, but could not find a way through, and finally a forward pass ended the pressure.

Kendal stepped up a gear, and Jack Lashley managed to steal Warrington ball to released James Gough on a good run. Unfortunately his pass was poor and failed to find any of his support runners.

Kendal stayed on the attack, and finally Glenn Weightman weaved his way through the defence, and whilst he seemed to have been stopped short of the line, he managed to wriggle into a position to stretch out, and ground the ball on the line for a try, which he converted. 8v17
As the half came to the end of normal time, Kendal extended their lead. A penalty was put to the corner, and the forwards drove to the line, with Matty Houghton coming up with the try. Glenn Weightman converted to give Kendal a 8v24 halftime lead, with no further scoring in the seven minutes of added time.

Warrington started the second half much the stronger, and with the wind now on Kendal’s backs, Warrington had to run the ball, and were starting to finding cracks in the Kendal defence, forcing it to scramble back into position to prevent scores.

Finally after Warrington had been awarded a penalty, that was quickly run, outside half Tom Wood went over for a try converted by fullback Darren Norman. 15v24.

Warrington now had most of the play, with Kendal struggling to get their hands on the ball, and when they did being forced to kick it long, giving Warrington more opportunities to attack. No.8 Max Hockenhull was often prominent in the moves, with his powerful running frequently evading tackles.

A try looked certain, but Matty Houghton managed to get across to make the tackled, and also prevent the player getting a pass away.

There was another opportunity when outside half Tom Wood made a break through the Kendal defence, but after getting the pass away, the player lost the ball as he went to ground it over the line.

Warrington were made to regret these missed opportunities, as when Kendal finally got some possession their backs began to look dangerous again, with Zane Butler making a break down the left wing then putting a kick ahead. The referee adjudged the tackle on him to have been late, awarding a penalty, but did not take further action against the tackler.

Shortly after Warrington wing Max Caldwell was not so lucky, as he knocked on when trying to intercept to prevent Kendal going over for a score in the left corner. The referee decided it was a deliberate knock on, and gave him ten minutes on the side lines.

Despite struggling in the lineout for much of the afternoon, Kendal put the penalty to touch, and it was cleanly gathered and the forwards drove to the line, with Matty Houghton breaking away to go over for his second try. 15v29.

Shortly afterwards, Kendal made a second substitution with Dom Musetti coming on for Jack Lashley.

Warrington were not finished, and another break from their own half saw a try in the left hand corner, and despite the conversion failing they were back to within two scores with twenty minutes to play.

Nathan Wooff was replaced by Rob Wightman, who went into the second row, with Liam Hayton moving to flanker, Matty Houghton to the right wing, and Chris Park to fullback.

With five minutes to play Kendal eased the nerves with a set play clearly off the training ground. From a scrum in mid-field, Glenn Weightman lined up on the left, but as soon as the ball went into the scrum he set off to the right, and the ball was passed to him to break through, and was then moved to Matty Houghton on the right wing who went over for his third try. 20v34.

In injury time Glenn Weightman added a penalty 20v37, but the referee played on.

The current fitness levels of the side was demonstrated from the re-start. When the ball came to prop Glenn Chesher he made a break up field, to start a moved ended by Chris Park, who with two men outside him, went to pass, but instead cut inside for the try, which Glenn Weightman converted with the last kick of the game. 20v44.

For much of the game, Kendal were far from their best, and occasionally the confidence of the recent big wins led to opportunities to pass being missed, and passes being made when the option was not really on, but when they hit top gear they were too good for a Warrington team who played well themselves when they had the ball. James Gough kept the ball moving and the defence guessing, whilst Zane Butler looked dangerous whenever he had the ball in hand, creating space for those around him.

The team became the first this season to come away from Warrington with a try scoring bonus point, are only the second to win there this season, and the first to score more than 23 points. The strength of the current squad, and how well those who have come in to replace them have played, means it is easy to forget that this was achieved without Richard Harryman, Garry Holmes, Phil Murphy, Damian Armstrong, and for different reasons, Dini Noyo, whilst the team played two thirds of the game without the inspirational Chris Downham.

KENDAL MAN OF THE MATCH : Zane Butler
just edging out multiple try scorer Matty Houghton, with Liam Hayton and Mark Carruthers not far behind

PHOTO : As mentioned above it wasn't the best day for line outs - although several scores came from them !