A bright sunny afternoon, with little breeze made it almost ideal conditions.
The only change to the team named for the postponed game against Ilkley, was Leo Mercer replacing the unavailable Danny Barker, with Damian Armstrong moving into the centre.
Kendal started well and had the lead within two minutes, when Chris Park slotted a penalty over, after Damian Armstrong had been high tackled. 0v3.
Billingham were quickly back on level terms, just two minutes later. Glenn Weightman tried to run out of defence, but when he was stopped, Kendal were penalised and Billingham outside half Peter Evans put the kick over 3v3.
Four minutes later Billingham had the lead for the first time. Their fullback evaded some weak tackling in midfield, and when he was finally stopped, the ball was quickly moved out to left wing Tom Briggs to score. 8v3
Billingham always looked dangerous when they had the ball, with excellent quick passing and support play, with outside half Peter Evans, frequently looping around his centres to provide an extra man in attack, but the Kendal defence held firm. When Kendal had the ball, too often it was kicked away, with poor chasing of the kicks, allowing Billingham to set up further attacks.
Whilst Billingham’s pretty rugby failed to make a further breakthrough, some brute force worked for their second try. A powerful run by a back row player, saw several Kendal would be tacklers bounced out of the way. When he was finally stopped by Chris Park, the ball was shifted wide for an easy run in. 13v3 after twenty minutes.
Seemingly out of the game, Kendal then scored twice in the last ten minutes of the half to tie the scores at halftime.
Billingham had been committing a number of offences to disrupted Kendal ball, and Chris Park added a second penalty to narrow the gap. 13v6.
The referee’s patience with Billingham tactics finally ran out with five minutes to play, and a Billingham forward was yellow carded. Kendal immediately made Billingham pay. From the resulting penalty, the ball was put to touch. The throw seemed to miss its target, but instead was safely gathered at the back of the lineout. The forwards set up several drives towards the line, to which Billingham had no answer, and finally after re-grouping the forwards drove Matty Houghton over for a try which Chris Park converted. 13v13
Moments later Billingham were down to thirteen men. Glenn Weightman chip a kick through the defence, and appeared to fall heavily whilst acrobatically trying to re-gather the ball. The referee either decided that the Billingham scrum half, Danno Finney had dangerously tackled him, or possibly deliberately impeded Weightman’s run, and issued him with a yellow card.
Billingham ended the half playing a high risk if it had gone wrong, but ultimately successful set of forward bursts, within their own twenty-two, to keep the ball and run down the clock.
Early in the second half James Gough was forced off with a cut to his head, with Mark Carruthers coming onto the wing, and Dini Noyo moving to scrum half. The changes seemed to distract Kendal, as they lost the lineout, and then failed to deal with a break from the centre to allow Billingham to regain the lead. 20v13 with the conversion from Peter Evans.
James Gough was soon back on the field.
With twenty minutes played, Billingham extended their lead. Their fullback made a break through the centre, and set up a second try for left wing Tom Briggs. 25v13.
Kendal made changes with Mark Carruthers returning in place of Leo Mercer, and James Thompson replacing Ben Leacock.
Billingham added a fifth try to further extend their lead after twenty five minutes. From a scrum the ball was moved to centre Joe Evans who powered through to score. This time scrum half Danno Finney adding the conversion 32v13.
Kendal made further changes with Matty Houghton replaced by Josh Coyle, and Leo Mercer returned in place of Chris Park, with Mark Carruthers moving to fullback.
After rarely threatening to breach the Billingham defence, Kendal finally had a try with five minutes to play. From a lineout the ball was moved to Zane Butler who powered through the centre, Leo Mercer took the ball on and Damian Armstrong (?) was hand to score. Glenn Weightman added the conversion. 33v20.
Kendal stepped up a gear, and Billingham were again reduced to fourteen men, after another yellow card for a dangerous tackle.
In injury time, Kendal added a third try to snatch an unlikely losing bonus point. From a scrum, good work from the backline, set up an opening for Dini Noyo to go through for the score. Glenn Weightman added the conversion. 32v27
There was no more time for Kendal to go looking for a winning score, as the referee blew for fulltime.
An odd afternoon, Billingham were excellent in attack with backs and forwards combining in swift passing moves, often getting the ball away to players in support as the tackles came in, to keep the ball moving. Whilst the Kendal defence did very well to deal with this, it then let Billingham in with poor tackling from more simple moves. Until the late recovery Kendal rarely showed the flair in attack of recent games. On a positive note it was a good afternoon for the lineout, which worked much better than in many recent games.
Kendal drop a place to eighth at the halfway point in the season, overtaken by Lymm on points difference, after their double bonus point loss in a high scoring encounter with Morley, but we do have the game in hand. The league is splitting in three, with the top six pulling away from the three in the centre, who have a comfortable cushion over the bottom five. Still plenty to play for in the second half of the season, with a top half finish certainly possible.
This starts with two contrasting games to come to end the year. Next weekend Waterloo, whose fightback early in the season suggested that they will be no pushover, followed by the thankless task of an away trip to unbeaten league leaders Huddersfield, who saw off their closest challenges Rossendale this weekend.
WEBSITE KENDAL MAN OF THE MATCH : Ross McKay
With over 50% of the vote (no other player got more than one), competition for those back row spots is as strong as ever
Action | Team | No | Name | Time | Bil | Ken | |
Pen | Kendal | 15 | Chris Park | 2 | 0 | 3 | |
Pen | Billingham | 10 | Peter Evans | 4 | 3 | 3 | |
Try | Billingham | 11 | Tom Briggs | 8 | 8 | 3 | |
Try | Billingham | ? | 19 | 13 | 3 | ||
Pen | Kendal | 15 | Chris Park | 31 | 13 | 6 | |
Y/C | Billingham | 17 | 35 | 13 | 6 | ||
Try | Kendal | 6 | Matty Houghton | 36 | 13 | 11 | |
Con | Kendal | 15 | Chris Park | 37 | 13 | 13 | |
Y/C | Billingham | 9 | Danno Finney | 38 | 13 | 13 | |
= = = | = = = | = = = | FULL TIME | 40+2 | 13 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 9 | James Gough | 52 | 13 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 20 | Mark Carruthers | 52 | 13 | 13 | |
Try | Billingham | ? | 53 | 18 | 13 | ||
Con | Billingham | 10 | Tom Briggs | 54 | 20 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 20 | Mark Carruthers | 56 | 20 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 9 | James Gough | 56 | 20 | 13 | |
Try | Billingham | 11 | Tom Briggs | 61 | 25 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 14 | Leo Mercer | 63 | 25 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 20 | Mark Carruthers | 63 | 25 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 5 | Ben Leacock | 65 | 25 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 17 | James Thompson | 65 | 25 | 13 | |
Try | Billingham | 13 | Joe Evans | 66 | 30 | 13 | |
Con | Billingham | 9 | Danno Finney | 67 | 32 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 6 | Matty Houghton | 69 | 32 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 18 | Josh Coyle | 69 | 32 | 13 | |
sub-off | Kendal | 15 | Chris Park | 72 | 32 | 13 | |
sub-on | Kendal | 14 | Leo Mercer | 72 | 32 | 13 | |
Try | Kendal | 13 | Damian Armstrong | 74 | 32 | 18 | |
Con | Kendal | 10 | Glenn Weightman | 75 | 32 | 20 | |
Y/C | Billingham | ? | 79 | 32 | 20 | ||
Try | Kendal | 11 | Dini Noyo | 83 | 32 | 25 | |
Con | Kendal | 10 | Glenn Weightman | 84 | 32 | 27 | |
= = = | = = = | = = = | FULL TIME | 85 | 32 | 27 |
Billingham | Kendal | |
Elliot Husband | 15 | Chris Park |
Matt Kirkby | 14 | Leo Mercer |
Joe Evans | 13 | Damian Armstrong |
Luke Wilson | 12 | Zane Butler |
Tom Briggs | 11 | Dini Noyo |
Peter Evans | 10 | Glenn Weightman |
Danno Finney | 9 | James Gough |
Ste Hutch | 1 | Glenn Chesher |
Shaun Wallace | 2 | Duncan Green |
Ben D'cunha | 3 | Dom Musetti |
Andy Thompson | 4 | Liam Hayton |
Micheal Whinn | 5 | Ben Leacock |
Dan Burns | 6 | Ross McKay |
Anth Jackson | 7 | Matty Houghton |
Dan Dixon | 8 | Garry Holmes |
Stu Anderson | sub | James Thompson |
Chris Dobson | sub | Josh Coyle |
Adam Gardner | sub | Mark Carruthers |