Dominant Performance in Dreadful Conditions

Kendal were forced to make a late change with Liam Hayton injured in the warm up. Matty Houghton came off the bench, with Garry Holmes moving to No.8 and James Thompson into the second row.

For a second week Kendal had a perfect start, taking the lead after just two minutes of play. Dan Lowther put penalty into the Vale of Lune half. Reece Tomlinson took the line out ball and the pack made a magnificent drive from well outside the twenty two to the Vale line. Garry Holmes broke away and when he was caught passed inside to Dan Lowther for the try. 5v0

The score was followed by a short hail storm, as Kendal benefitted from a strong wind on their backs.

Whilst the Vale pack were holding their own in the scrum, at the lineout the wind was helping Reece Tomlinson and James Thompson steal much of Vale ball, restricting their ability to escape their half.

Kendal’s second try after a quarter of an hour of play, came from ball stolen from a Vale of Lune line out. Again the pack drove to the line where Matty Houghton broke away to score. 10v0.

After twenty five minutes, on one of their first visits to the Kendal half, Vale of Lune opened their account with a penalty. On the attack in the Vale half, a Dan Lowther pass was intercepted, but with what appeared a clear run to the line, the Vale player choose to pass inside, and a Kendal player was penalised for deliberately knock on to end the move. This set up a string of penalties, which took Vale into the twenty two, where outside half Jack Turton converted the penalty. 10v3.

Despite the dreadful underfoot conditions, as the wet pitch became increasingly churned up, Vale fullback Nick Royle was frequently making dangerous runs out of defence.

A good Vale kick down the left touchline, was well gathered on the ground by James Gough to end a dangerous move. Vale stayed on the attack and Kendal conceded a penalty, but it sailed wide to leave the halftime score 10v3. On the stroke of half time Vale hooker (?) Phil Berry was sent to the sin bin.

Vale would have been happy to go in with such a narrow deficit, after the territorial dominance of Kendal in the first half, and the elements now in their favour in the second half.

Kendal started the second half well, with a storming break from James Thompson to the line, but he lost the ball in the tackle. Kendal kept Vale penned in their own twenty two for much of the opening twenty minutes, but were not able to add to their score. Vale’s cause was not helped with further yellow cards to fullback Nick Royle and a replacement prop, James Hesketh (?).

With Hesketh in the sin bin, the Kendal pack drove over from a scrum for a try for Garry Holmes. 15v3.

Vale came back into the game, but Kendal held them well away from their line, until with five minutes to go a kick out of defence was run back and outside half Jack Turton broke through the centre to score. He then converted with the ball hitting both posts before dropping over, to set up a grandstand finish with the Kendal lead reduced to a single score, despite their territorial dominance in both halves. 15v10.

Kendal were however not to be denied victory. Substitutes Ben Leacock, Billy Coxon, and Jordan Johnson for Garry Holmes, Matty Houghton and Andrew Boardley, had been brought on midway through the half and all three contributed to the team effort.

With the wind in their favour the Vale lineout had looked much stronger in the second half, whilst Kendal had frequently been penalised, but Leacock, who had had to be called back from the Development team’s game in Carlisle after Liam Hayton’s late withdraw, was able to disrupted a Vale put in close to halfway.

Despite the strength sapping mud, the pack kept driving forwards with Billy Coxon, who will have been well accustomed to these conditions in past seasons, making a number of breaks to put the Vale pack on the back foot.

Two minutes into injury time, the pressure finally told and the Kendal pack drove over the line from a scrum, for James Gough to dive on the ball for the try to seal the victory. Chris Park slotted over the conversion. This adding a try scoring bonus point for Kendal whilst depriving Vale of their own losing bonus point.

Kendal held out for a few more minutes of play for a victory which should have been far wider than the final score suggested, in conditions which suited their strengths.

Both teams deserve great credit for an entertaining game in dreadful conditions.

With the teams around them losing, Kendal strengthen their fourth place position in the league, and moved to within five points of third place Widnes, demonstrating their recent improvement after the early season difficulties.

There is no first team game next weekend, so the next game is in a fortnight with the tough visit to near neighbours Kirkby Lonsdale.

With no first team game next weekend, why not come down to Mint Bridge to see some rugby with the other high flying first XV, the Wasps, playing Liverpool Collegiate Ladies at 2.00pm on Sunday (2nd) (weather permitting)?

Referee : Jonathon Cook (Durham Society)

PHOTO : The crock of (Black &) Gold at the end of the rainbow.