Teamwork Secures Excellent Victory

Despite having won once more, visitors Wilmslow entered the game one place and three points behind Kendal, due to having collected seven less bonus points.

Ian Voortman returned in the centre, whilst Dan Lowther retained the outside half position, with Chris Park at fullback and Andrew Boardley on the wing.

Kendal started strongly, playing a high tempo game, but the Wilmslow pack were strong at the breakdown turning over Kendal ball on three occasions, to stop promising Kendal attacks, only for poor clearance kicks to give the ball back to Kendal, for another wave of attacks, with the backs and pack combining well.

After five minutes, James Thompson made a strong break from the back of an attacking scrum, but could not get a pass away to James Gough, who was in support. The move won a penalty which Andrew Boardley slotted over to give Kendal the lead. 3v0.

Wilmslow started to come into the game, but despite excellent ball retention could not breach the Kendal defence. After a quarter of an hour Kendal were caught offside in midfield and Wilmslow right wing Laurence James, opened his teams scoring. 3v3.

The lead was short lived, as Kendal pressure from the re-start, saw them awarded a penalty, which Andrew Boardley converted 6v3.

Wilmslow re-took the lead after twenty five minutes of play. From a Kendal scrum in midfield, the ball went loose, Wilmslow outside half Oli McCall reacted fastest, and hacked the ball through, and was able to evade the Kendal backline, which had been set up for attack, to score. Laurence James converted 6v10.

The Kendal defence was working better than in a number of recent games, with fewer tackles being missed. When tackles were broken, Matty Houghton, was often on hand, to bring players down, to stop Wilmslow building any momentum.

After twenty five minutes, both teams were forced into making substitutions. Wilmslow try scorer Oli McCall was forced off with suspected broken bones in his hand, whilst an injury to Kendal hooker Duncan Green saw Richard Harryman, returning from injury, with Matty Houghton moving to hooker, and Billy Coxon onto the flank.

Harryman’s entry to the game had an immediate impact, as the Kendal pack drove Wilmslow off the ball, and forced a penalty. A scrum was taken, but twice after it was re-set the Kendal pack could not drive to the line. From a further penalty the ball was run instead, and Garry Holmes broke away to score his ninth try of the season. Andrew Boardley put over the difficult conversion from close to the touchline. 13v10.

Kendal turned around with the slender lead, but were immediately under pressure, in the second half. The kick off failed to make ten metres, and they were penalised from the resulting scrum allowing Wilmslow to set up an attack. This was resisted and a scrappy period of play followed, with both teams making mistakes.

With their scrum still in difficulties, Wilmslow made a double substitution after ten minutes, replacing a prop and No.8.

When Kendal were awarded a penalty, they looked to increase their narrow lead, rather than set up an attacking position, but whilst the kick was on target, the distance proved too much for Andrew Boardley.

Pressure from Mark Carruthers, saw Wilmslow ball go loose, with Matty Houghton kicking the ball through, but he was beaten to the ball.

Kendal stayed on the attack, and when the ball was moved to the left, Dan Lowther powered through a gap to score his ninth try of the season, the first from a back since the Leigh game over a month earlier. Andrew Boardley converted. 20v10.

Wilmslow came back with a strong break from substitute Craig Cooper, and when the move broke down with a knock on, the referee came back for a penalty, which wing Laurence James put over to bring his team back within a single score, with twenty minutes to play. 20v13.

Any thoughts of another close finish were however quickly extinguished, as the Kendal team stepped up several gears, to play their best rugby since the Vale of Lune game at the start of October.

James Gough, who had earlier frequently been put under pressure from the fast Wilmslow pack, was starting to find gaps in the defence, and drove forward, his long pass was collected well by Liam Hayton, who took the move on into the twenty two, the ball was taken on by Garry Holmes, and when it came back, a long pass made space on the left wing for Mark Carruthers to score his first try. This time the kick proved too difficult for Andrew Boardley. 25v13.

Kendal were quickly back on the attack. Dan Lowther made a break down the right wing, and without support, chipped ahead to the line, but was beaten to the ball, and Kendal were penalised, allowing Wilmslow to clear their line.

Patient build up work between the Kendal forwards and backs, was keeping the ball alive, and after James Gough made another break, the ball was taken on by Ian Voortman, and another long pass put Mark Carruthers in for his second try, to gain Kendal a try scoring bonus point. 30v13.

A penalty for punch at a ruck, allowed Dan Lowther to put a kick deep into the Wilmslow twenty two, but the ball was stolen at the lineout, to ease the pressure.

Having replaced double try scorer Mark Carruthers with Nathan Woof, who was returning after a long spell out with an injury, Kendal made a third substitution, bringing promising Colts second row Chris Evans off the bench, to replace prop Glen Chesher.

With ten minutes to play, a rare lapse in the Kendal defence, allowed Wilmslow substitute Dave Wright to power through a number of tackles to score, with Laurence James quickly adding the easy conversion. 30v20.

Wilmslow hopes of grabbing a losing bonus point were snuffed out, as Kendal went back on the attack and in injury time, breaks from James Gough and Reece Tomlinson, put pressure on the Wilmslow defence, forcing a penalty to be conceded. With maximum bonus points already gained, Andrew Boardley put the kick over as the final action of the game. 33v20.

The Kendal coaches should be delighted with a much improved performance, both in attack and defence. The Wilmslow pack indicated from the start of the game that they not be dominated, as Kendal’s pack have done in their last three games, and in the final quarter the team showed that they had a Plan B, with James Gough having his best game of the season, and Dan Lowther looking increasingly at home in the outside half’s shirt.

A repeat performance is needed next week, to avoid another banana skin, as the second round of games starts with a trip to Altrincham Kersal, who are fighting for survival close to the foot of the table.

Referee : Dean Lythgoe (Cumbria Referees)

photo : The pack set up for the first try