Missed Oppotunities leads to another Reverse

The only change in the Kendal team saw Duncan Green return to the front row in place of Billy Coxon.

Kendal spent the first half playing into a very strong wind, but they made the better start. They were disrupted after seven minutes by the loss of Richard Harryman to an injury, to be replaced by Matty Houghton, returning after being out injured himself since the opening minutes of the first game of the season.

Kendal were keeping Park penned in their twenty two, but a succession of handing errors, kept the game scoreless. Finally after a quarter of an hour, Kendal took the lead. Bob Mataia made a break through the centre, and whilst he was stopped, the ball was re-cycled and the move continued by Mark Carruthers, before being finished from short range by James Gough. Glenn Weightman added the conversion. 0v7.

After treatment on the sidelines, Richard Harryman returned, but was forced off again five minutes later.

Park narrowed the lead with a penalty after twenty minutes, but Kendal extended it again five minutes later, with James Gough getting a second try from short range, after good work from the forwards. Glenn Weightman adding a second conversion into the strong wind. 3v14.

The lead was short lived, with Park’s powerfully built centre powering over, with scrum half Matt Raybold (?) converting 10v14.

With the loss of Richard Harryman, Liam Hayton moved to prop, and the Park scrum came under pressure. After Kendal disrupted Park ball, at the following scrum Garry Holmes charged an attempted clearance kick down, but the ball fell kindly for Park, and they were able to clear to touch. The Kendal forwards drove to the line from the resulting lineout, but could not get over the line, and Park had the chance to clear, when the ball was knocked forward.

With the forwards dominating most of the play, the Kendal backs had a chance to show what they could do, when Dan Lowther ran back a clearance kick, with Dini Noyo and Alistair Thompson taking the move forward, but again handling errors let Park clear.

Despite failing to tale a number of chances, Kendal would have been pleased to turn ahead, despite the difficulties of playing into the wind.

The opening to the second half saw frenetic play from both teams, but handling errors prevented any further scoring.

After ten minutes Blake Robinson, playing his last game before returning to New Zealand to work for the Winter, was replaced by Rhys Studt.

Park were now running the ball at every opportunity, with centre Jack Marlin (?), frequently finding gaps in the Kendal defence, and powering out of attempted tackles. One run set up a second penalty opportunity, converted by Matt Raybold (?). 13v14

With twenty minutes played, Chris Park replaced Bob Mataia in the Kendal back division.

Kendal continued to pound the Park line, but could not score. Dan Lowther made a break and despite him being driven over the line, the forwards could not get the ball down for the try. From the resulting scrum the forwards again drove over the line, but Park again prevented the ball from being grounded.

The game changed after Kendal were penalised as the forwards drove towards the line from a lineout. Park, put a kick to touch, and from the resulting lineout, the ball was spun into midfield, with right wing Ade Titaloye, making a break, finished by centre Jack Marlin (?) and converted by Matt Raybold, to put Park into an unlikely lead, having sustaining a long period of pressure on their own line. 20v14.

Worse was to follow for Kendal. The kick off was returned with a kick to touch, but the Kendal throw missed the jumpers and was not gathered. Park gathered the loose ball and outside half Ben Salisbury went through to score, with Raybold again adding the conversion. 27v14.

Park appeared in control, but seemed to change their game plan, and keep the ball in their forwards to run the clock down, and were almost undone.

Out of nothing the ball was moved along the back line, and Dini Noyo made an excellent break to the line, but his pass to Alistair Thompson, went loose. The referee however seemed to decide this was due to a dangerous tackle by Park fullback Ronan O’Brien, who was given a yellow card, with Kendal awarded a penalty try, which Glenn Weightman converted. 24v21

A grandstand finished looked possible, but as too often throughout the game, forwards were appearing in the Kendal back division, slowing the ball down, and Park were able to hold out for a win which was probably against the run of play, but owed everything to taking chances when they occurred.

It will have been a long trip back to Kendal for a number of players, with the coaches looking for answers to what went wrong with their game plan, with forwards being too keen to take on an obstinate Park pack, whilst the backs often looked for the “miracle” pass, when a more patient approach may have paid dividends.

Despite being below their best, in reality this was a game Kendal could and should have won, and if the ball had bounced the other way the result could have been different, but Park’s better invention behind the pack, and backs to the wall defence up front, made them worthy victors.

Kendal now have a fortnight away from league rugby, playing Carlisle away in the Cumbria Cup next weekend

KENDAL MAN OF THE MATCH : James Gough