Unexpected Collapse ends winning run

Both teams came into the game with six wins, but Sandal sat in third place against Kendal’s seventh, due to two extra bonus points.

Ross McKay made his debut in the second row, whilst Mark Carruthers made his first appearance of the season on the right wing, with Damian Armstrong moving into the centre. Jack Walker, Matty Houghton and Dini Noyo all returned to the side.

The opening exchanges were close, with play moving from end to end. Sandal seemed keen to run the ball from anywhere on the pitch, but the Kendal defence was a match.

Both set of supporters felt the opposition’s defence was coming up too fast, and therefore cutting chances to attack.

A good Sandal kick up field seemed to have the Kendal defence in trouble, but Mark Carruthers not only collected the ball, but then made a good run out of defence.

After twenty minutes, Garry Holmes made a break from a scrum, then fed Liam Hayton who made good ground, before passing to Mark Carruthers, and the move was then taken on Ross McKay, but when the ball was moved into midfield, it was knocked on.

The Sandal pack was disrupted with two forwards forced off with injury.

Danny Barker was having another good game, and made several good breaks, but the Sandal defence made sure he could not get passes away.

Finally after thirty five minutes the deadlock was broken. From a lineout the ball was moved into midfield, where Dini Noyo popped up to break through the Sandal defence. He was finally stopped near the line, but when the ball came back Liam Hayton was on hand to go over for the try. Chris Park added the difficult conversion. 0v7

Glenn Weightman was frequently trying to put kicks over the top of the Sandal defence, as it came up quickly to cut off passes. This almost paid off as Dini Noyo managed to get to a kick, but knocked on trying to gather it.

In injury time Kendal extended their lead after another chip ahead, which Glenn Weightman gathered himself, the tackler then played the ball, and Chris Park stepped up to put over the resulting penalty 0v10.

The Sandal injuries meant the game continued, and Sandal benefitted. Centre Steve Nolson gathered a kick ahead, and managed to weave through some poor Kendal tackling to score. Outside half Greg Wood converted. 7v10.

There was still more time to play, but there was no further scoring.

Sandal and the referee left the field at half time, and were away for ten minutes, but Kendal stayed out.

Sandal started well, and Kendal struggled to stop a break from Sandal back row man James Stewart.

Having dealt with the immediate danger Kendal shot themselves in the foot, losing their own lineout ball, allowing the Sandal pack to drive to the line, with prop Alex Elder coming up with the score. The conversion hit the upright. 12v10.

Ten minutes later Kendal had the lead back. Dini Noyo made a break, and when stopped got the ball away to Mark Carruthers. He still had plenty to do, but fended off two would be tacklers, and whilst tripped, was able to get up and go over for the try. 12v15

Kendal made their first change bringing on James Thompson for Ross McKay

Chris Park extended the Kendal lead with a penalty, after quarter of an hour, after Sandal had again been caught preventing a tackled player getting the ball away. 12v18.

Kendal again self destructed, first knocking on the restart kick, and from the scrum, for a second time could not cope with a break from centre Steve Nolson. Greg Wood added the simple conversion 19v18.

Kendal made a second change with Willie Hintz replacing Garry Holmes.

Sandal scored again, from a drive from a lineout following a penalty. It looked as if the Kendal pack had managed to hold the drive up, but prop Alex Elder emerged again for his second try. 29v18.

Richard Harryman came on for Dom Musetti, but was almost immediately penalised at a scrum, despite finding himself up against a hooker, in the much rearranged Sandal pack. Greg Wood put the kick over to extend his team’s lead. 29v18.

With five minutes to play, the referee yellow carded James Gough for a high tackle, and he was possibly fortunate that the referee did not spot his reaction to a Sandal player, as he left the field.

Sandal finished the scoring with a try in injury time, for right wing Dom Fawcett, who gathered a long pass, which looked close to being intercepted. After earlier hitting the upright, this time Greg Wood hit the cross bar, and the ball bounced over. 36v18.

So the long run of wins away from Mint Bridge, which goes back to Kirkby Lonsdale in late October last year, was broken in disappointing fashion. The unexpected disintegrated of the pack, which has often finished games much better than their opponents, was unexpected, especially as Sandal were playing with a prop and fullback in the back row, and hooker propping.

Unlike earlier losses this was a team Kendal could have beaten, and with twenty minutes to go this still looked possible.

The team will need to regroup, for two home games in a row against teams which lie just below them in the table, the play of the first sixty minutes suggest this should be possible.

KENDAL WEBSITE MAN OF THE MATCH : Mark Carruthers
Making his first appearance of the season, took his try well, and had several good runs

PHOTO : sums up the afternoon (it chose itself as it was the only one if the five taken that did not come up blurred - which also summed up the afternoon)