Young Team go down to defeat despite battling performance

After a good start, Kendal found their defensive under severe tested, as Birkenhead Park recycled the ball through many phases. After repelling a number of attacks, a gap finally appeared on the left for an unconverted try after seven minutes. 5v0

Five minutes later Park increased their lead, as second row Laurence Thomas crashed over after a scrum near to the line. 12v0

The third try came when the Kendal defence was breached in mid-field. Final line of defence, fullback Jamie Postlethwaite, made the tackle, but Park outside half Shaun Woof was in support for the try. 19v0

The Kendal defence was continually under pressure but held firm. On the rare occasions that Kendal had the ball in hand, centre Dan Lowther probed for gaps in the Park defence, and when stopped, was well supported by the pack, with flanker Blake Robinson having another good game.

The Birkenhead pack was beginning to dominate the scrums, cutting off Kendal ball, and with half an hour played the fourth try came from ball stolen from the back of a Kendal scrum near the line. 24v0.

A break from deep in their own half, led to the Park’s next try, finished with a speedy break which made with the conversion easy, with the ball being run in under the posts. 31v0.

Kendal’s cause was not helped with injuries to both Graham Coulter and Jamie Postlethwaite, with James Cox and Robbie Collinson taking their places.

With five minutes of the half to go, Park hooker Adam Neal was rewarded for early good work, with a burst to the line to score. 36v0. The final score of the half came after a long kick Kendal kick out of defence was run back. 43v0.

Park’s forwards opened the scoring in the second minute of the second half, with a drive to the line, after a lineout 48v0. This was followed by another try from short range after further good re-cycling of the ball, as the Kendal defence held back repeated attacks. 55v0.

Kendal opened their scoring after ten minutes of the half. Dan Lowther drilled a penalty into the corner, the forwards won the lineout and the ball was moved into the centre, for Lowther to burst through for a try. Nathan Woof converted 55v7.

Park scored again five minutes later after a good cross field passing move, but the young Kendal team, were not letting their heads drop, and were making Park work hard for every point. 60v7

After twenty minutes, Kendal were caught napping, when Park took a quick throw in, which resulted in an easy run to the line. 65v7.

Despite losing acting captain Garry Holmes, who had had a typical industrious performance, the young side continued to play well in defence and when they had the ball, played well as a unit to try to put pressure on their more experienced opponents, with both second rows making good ground when they had the ball in hand.

Park’s final try came after another good run from hooker Neal, 72v7.

As a final demonstration of their refusal to give up, Kendal had the final say. In injury time they set up a position deep in the Park twenty two, and Dan Lowther crashed over again for his second try, which Nathan Woof converted for a final score of 72v14.

The Kendal coaches and their young team will have learnt a lot from this encounter. Only one of the front five in the pack was over twenty-one, in an area the regulars in those jerseys show is one where you mature with age. This was a game that the regular first team would have struggled in, and unlike the surrender of a fortnight earlier, this young team stuck to their difficult task to the end, and emerged with great credit.

Referee: Martin Plummer (Cumbria Society)

Birkenhead scorers (and possibly corrections) will follow when (if) I get more information,