Despite their lowly league position, Leigh had played well in their home fixture earlier in the season and it had taken a late try for Kendal to escape with a draw. This game had been re-arranged after being called off last weekend due to a waterlogged pitch, but despite the poor weather the pitch held up well.
Chris Park was unavailable so Mark Carruthers moved to fullback, with Jordon Johnson returning to the wing. Garry Holmes started at No.6, with Matty Houghton returning to the bench, where Billy Coxon again started the game.
Kendal started well. Ian Voortman following a kick through to make a tackle which forced Leigh to concede a penalty. Dan Lowther put the ball to touch. When Leigh were penalised again after illegally stopping the Kendal drive from the lineout, Andrew Boardley opened the scoring with a penalty, after just three minutes of play. (3v0)
The lead was soon extended. From a lineout, rather than go for the drive, the ball was moved into midfield, where flanker James Cox made a break, when he was stopped, the ball was recycled quickly and when the move was stopped near line, the forwards took over and drove over, with Garry Holmes coming up with the ball for his eighteenth try of the season. Despite a good kick Andrew Boardley was unable to add the conversion. (8v0)
Leigh were quickly back into the game. When Kendal were penalised from a scrum near halfway, the kick was put to touch. After conceding a string of penalties, Kendal experienced a bit of their own medicine, as the Leigh forwards drove over for a try. (8v5). The referee was forced to speak to the two captains after a number of outbreaks of fighting.
Kendal started to dominate, with the wind on their backs in the first half, but were disrupted by a bulky Leigh pack. Finally after half an hour of play Kendal managed to turn the pressure into points, with a drive to the line for No.8 James Thompson to score. Despite another good kick, Andrew Boardley was again unable to put over the difficult conversion. (13v5).
The Leigh support was frustrated by the referee’s failure to play advantage after Kendal offended in midfield, and this was increased by their kicker’s failure to find touch with the resulting penalty.
At the other end of the field Andrew Boardley twice came off his wing to go close to scoring, but was held out.
Kendal finished the half on the attack, but Leigh were able to clear, despite coming close to being driven off their own scrum put in.
At half time Matty Houghton came on to replace James Cox in the back row.
Leigh opened the second half well with a solid scrum, leading to the ball being moved into the centre, where speedy fullback Jimmy Wilkinson broke the Kendal defence to score, with outside half Rob Drake converting, to bring his team within a point, despite having been on the back foot for much of the first half. (13v12).
Kendal were clearly experimenting with bringing their backs into the game more, but good breaks by Ian Voortman, Alistair Thompson, Dan Lowther and Mark Carruthers came to nothing. After ten minutes Andrew Boardley extended the lead with a second penalty (16v12).
Yet again the Kendal lineout was struggling, to secure clean ball to build attacks.
After a quarter of an hour Billy Coxon came on to replace Glen Chesher, and the pack stepped up a gear. Having failed to get ascendancy at either lineout or scrum. When a penalty was awarded, the forwards ran the ball, with Reece Tomlinson rewarded with the try. (21v12)
Five minutes later Kendal had their try scoring bonus point, with their best try of the game. With James Gough receiving attention for an injury, Andrew Boardley move into the role of scrumhalf, and twice moved the ball quickly from the breakdown, to open up space for a break from Ian Voortman, who gave the scoring pass to fullback Mark Carruthers. Dan Lowther was unable to add the difficult conversion. (26v12).
James Cox returned to the field for James Thompson, whilst Colts player Brad Jackson came on for Andrew Boardley with quarter of an hour to play.
Leigh then had their best spell of attack, since the beginning of the second half, but some tenacious tackling from the Kendal defence meant there were few openings.
With Kendal back on the attack, a poor pass handed the ball back to Leigh, and fullback Jimmy Wilkinson, who had looked dangerous on the rare occasions he was given the ball in space, made a break, before feeding a Leigh substitute who scored and then converted his own try, to bring Leigh within a single score of Kendal.
James Gough was forced off with an injury and Andrew Boardley returned to the field for the last five minutes of play.
There was a moment of panic as Wilkinson again found space, having been gifted ball by a poor Kendal kick out of defence, but his pass to right wing Chris Mayrew went to ground. The Kendal forwards then kept hold of the ball, to run the clock down and went looking for a final score.
Whilst Leigh turned the ball over, they seemed happy to put the ball to touch to prevent a score which could have taken away their losing bonus point.
A solid if not spectacular win, but for a team whose game relies on forward power, the continuing failures in the lineout are concerning, as they both prevent a platform for Kendal scores and gift easy ball to the opposition to mount their own attacks.
After an away match at Liverpool St Helens next week, Kendal return to Mint Bridge in a fortnight against Broughton Park, which as Spring will have arrived will revert to a 3.00pm kick off. The losses against both teams earlier in the season, were certainly ones that got away, and the team and coaches will be keen to put that right.
Kendal | Leigh | |
Mark Carruthers | 15 | Jimmy Wilkinson |
Andrew Boardley (19) | 14 | Chris Mayrew |
Ian Voortman | 13 | Ross Shepherd |
Alistair Thompson | 12 | Ryan McKinstry |
Jordan Johnson | 11 | Elliot Ryan |
Dan Lowther | 10 | Rob Drake |
James Gough (C) | 9 | Alan Brett |
Glenn Chesher | 1 | Matt Newton |
Duncan Green | 2 | Iain Wood (C) |
Richard Harryman | 3 | Tom Baker |
Liam Hayton | 4 | David Penn |
Reece Tomlinson | 5 | Alex Middleton-Adams |
Garry Holmes | 6 | Steve Milard |
James Cox | 7 | Chris Morgan |
James Thompson | 8 | Calvin Crompon |
Billy Coxon (16) | sub | Tom Prossatt |
Matty Houghton (17) | sub | Tom Trumbell |
Brad Jackson | sub | - - |
Referee : Dr Tyrone Castles (Cumbria Referees)
Score | Team | No | Name | Time | Kendal | Leigh | |
Pen | Kendal | 19 | Andrew Boardley | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
Try | Kendal | 6 | Garry Holmes | 5 | 8 | 0 | |
Try | Leigh | ? | ? | 11 | 8 | 5 | |
Try | Kendal | 8 | James Thompson | 30 | 13 | 5 | |
= = | = = | = = | HALF TIME | 40+7 | 13 | 5 | |
sub on | Kendal | 17 | Matty Houghton | 40 | 13 | 5 | |
sub off | Kendal | 7 | James Cox | 40 | 13 | 5 | |
Try | Leigh | 15 | Jimmy Wilkinson | 42 | 13 | 10 | |
Con | Leigh | 10 | Rob Drake | 43 | 13 | 12 | |
Pen | Kendal | 19 | Andrew Boardley | 51 | 16 | 12 | |
sub on | Kendal | 16 | Billy Coxon | 53 | 16 | 12 | |
sub off | Kendal | 1 | Glenn Chesher | 53 | 16 | 12 | |
Try | Kendal | 5 | Reece Tomlinson | 57 | 21 | 12 | |
Try | Kendal | 15 | Mark Carruthers | 61 | 26 | 12 | |
sub on | Kendal | 7 | James Cox | ? | 26 | 12 | |
sub off | Kendal | 8 | James Thompson | ? | 26 | 12 | |
sub on | Kendal | ? | Brad Jackson | 67 | 26 | 12 | |
sub off | Kendal | 19 | Andrew Boardley | 67 | 26 | 12 | |
Try | Leigh | 18 | ? | 76 | 26 | 17 | |
Con | Leigh | 18 | ? | 77 | 26 | 19 | |
sub on | Kendal | 19 | Andrew Boardley | 78 | 26 | 19 | |
sub off | Kendal | 9 | James Gough | 78 | 26 | 19 | |
= = | = = | = = | FINAL SCORE | 83 | 26 | 19 |