Good Win for First XV

away from home

The gloomy weather of the Lake District was left behind, and it was a warm sunny afternoon, although a soft pitch caused some scrumaging problems.

Kendal started well, with Liam Hayton, returning to the side after injury, taking the kick-off ball, and breaking the Widnes defence. When the ball came back Glen Weightman put a long kick through to put Kendal on the attack, and set up a dominance of the early exchanges.

Kendal continued to press, but handing errors were disrupting their play.

When Kendal lost their own lineout ball, Widnes broke from defence but when the referee awarded a scrum, a player spoke out and was penalised. Rather than go for the posts, Glen Weightman put the kick to the line, but the lineout throw was adjudged to be not to be straight.

Frequent errors from both teams, meant the game was not flowing, and the visiting referee from London, was often quick to blow for scrums, rather than looking for advantage.

Having dominated the early exchanges, Kendal were almost caught out, when Widnes took a pick twenty two drop out. Centre Dave Welsh made an excellent break, to start a move which was only ended by an excellent covering tackle by Matty Houghton. The ball was re-cycled and Widnes put a kick to the right wing, but it was Kendal’s Jordan Johnson who gathered, only to slipped, and he was injured in the resulting ruck, being forced to hobble off, with Adam Pashley replacing him on the left wing.

Kendal finally opened the scoring after twenty five minutes. A Widnes scrum was disrupted and the ball was forced into touch. Kendal won the lineout and the ball was moved into midfield. James Gough chipped the ball through the Widnes defence, and gathered his own kick, to give the scoring pass to Nathan Wooff in support. 0v5

Kendal quickly had a second score. Again the kickoff ball was taken, and a good kick through was misfielded into touch. Kendal won the lineout and the forwards drove to the line, with Liam Hayton coming up with the ball. Chris Park added the conversion from close to the touchline 0v12.

Widnes’ back division were looking dangerous with the ball in hand, and only a covering tackle by Chris Park prevented a score. Widnes continued to press, and after the ball had been moved right, it came back to the left wing for a score. No.8 Jon Hetherington, attempted the difficult conversion, but was unsuccessful. 5v12.

Five minute later, at the end of normal time in the first half, better was to follow for Widnes. Kendal lost their own defensive line out, and after the ball had been recycled, a Widnes chip down the left wing deceived the Kendal defence, and was gathered by left wing Josh Argent, who went over in the corner, but took the ball between the posts, to give Hetherington the easy kick to tie the scores, as had happened in the game late at Mint Bridge.

Again indiscipline meant this was short lived. From the restart Kendal forced a lineout, only for the throw to evade all the jumpers, for Widnes to break away. The referee however adjudged the attacking player to have failed to release the ball, after been tackled, before returning to his feet, and award Kendal a penalty. With time running out Kendal were already looking at a kick at goal, but when the decision was disputed the referee moved the kick ten metres forward, making it a much easier kick for Chris Park to restore the Kendal lead. 12v15.

At the start of the second half Jake Broomhead replaced Duncan Green, who had taken a knock in the warm up prior to the game.

Kendal extended their lead after five minutes of play. A penalty was put deep into the Widnes twenty two. Ben Leacock took the lineout ball, and found a gap in the Widnes defence to drive for the line himself. When he was stopped James Gough took the move on, and whilst he was also stopped, Garry Holmes was in support for the try. 12v20.

Kendal’s powerful front row was beginning to take control at the scrum, but the referee was forced to give several warnings to both front rows. A passage of play saw Kendal awarded multiple penalties, but when the referee brought play to a halt, he took no further action. Kendal spurred the kick at goal and instead looked to press home their forward dominance, but this backfired when the referee penalised them, after the scrum had been reset several times.

Kendal were still making mistakes, with several long lineout throws failing to find their target, and a mix up in midfield, saw a penalty conceded for obstruction.

With twenty-five minutes played, Kendal finally made another breakthrough. When Widnes tried to kick the ball out of defence, Bob Mataia thundered the kick down, and reacted quickest, to gather the ball, and whilst stopped on the line, was able to stretch over for the score. Chris Park added the simple conversion 12v27.

The score saw Ben Leacock replaced in the second row by Rob Wightman.

Kendal’s fifth try came after a Widnes defensive lineout was disrupted and the ball stolen. The forwards took the ball to the line, and after initially seeming to have been stopped, Richard Harryman, found a gap in the Widnes defence to break through to score. 12v32

Harryman’s reward for his score was to be substituted, with Duncan Green returning.

Kendal’s final try was their best of the game. Liam Hayton gathered the kick off ball and made a break down the left, the ball was moved into midfield, where Glen Weightman broke through, when he was stopped James Gough timed a pass perfectly to Garry Holmes coming through at pace and he ran the try in from outside the twenty two. Chris Park added the conversion. 12v39.

With confidence high, the Kendal backs were trying to move the ball wide, but were caught out when a long pass was intercepted by Widnes star player centre Dave Welsh (?), who went through to score, with Hetherington adding a drop kicked conversion at the end of normal time. 19v39.

Widnes ran the kick off back, looking for a fourth bonus point try. Kendal’s defence just manage to hold firm, and despite several stoppages, the referee continued play.

Kendal then had their own break out, looking for a further try, but when the ball was lost, Welsh set up fullback Christian Squires for Widnes’ important fourth try, in the eighth minute of added time. 24v39

So Widnes were added to Wilmslow and Wigton where Kendal lost last year, to balance the losses at Carlisle, Warrington and Vale of Lune, where Kendal had triumphed last season. So far only Broughton Park breaks this trend, but the two toughest away challenges are to come.

An entertaining game, but both sides made far too many errors.

Kendal Man of the Match : LIAM HAYTON
An all forward short list this weekend, but Liam took over half the votes with an excellent return to the team

PHOTO : Liam Hayton, who had a try scoring return to the side, after missing last week's game