Lymm 26 (0) v Kendal 11 (3)

Saturday 16^th February 2013

Kendal travelled to Lymm, looking to build on their win last week. On a bright afternoon, they played up the slope, with the slight breeze in their favour in the first half.

The opening exchange were even, with the Lymm back division looking confident with ball in hand, whilst the Kendal pack made good ground whenever they had control of the ball.

After ten minutes there were a series of incidents with Lymm flanker Tim Oakes appearing to be waging a private war, with punches exchanged with a number of Kendal players including Reece Thomlinson and Rob Quarry. Referee Geoff Smith chose to take no action, until the passage of play finished on the opposite touch line, whilst Quarry was still receiving attention for the loss of teeth, which ended his game. A warning was then issued to both captains. Quarry was replaced by Dan White.

Kendal opened the scoring after a quarter of an hour with a penalty from Chris Park from in front of the posts. This followed a series of drives by the pack from a line out, and when the ball was spread wide, the Lymm defence was caught offside. 0v3

The hard work of the Kendal forwards was being wasted with poor kicking, giving the ball back to the Lymm back division to mount repeated attacks, putting pressure on the Kendal defence.

Reece Thomlinson became the second forward to be forced to leave the field with an injury. This saw Ben Leacock come on, leaving Kendal with no opportunity to rotate their pack later in the game.

With ten minutes of the half to go Kendal had to withstand a number of attacks on their line by the Lymm forwards. One move was stopped on the line, when Liam Hayton managed to prevent the ball from being grounded.

Just before the end of the half, Chris Park had the chance to double the Kendal advantage, with a long range penalty from in front of the post, after a Lymm tackler was penalised for not rolling away, but the kick drifted wide.

At the end of normal time, Lymm second row and captain Olli Higginson was sin binned, moments after the referee had issued a general warning, but Kendal were unable to make the extra man advantage count.

Lymm came out for the second half fired up, and another poor Kendal kick from defence, gave Lymm the ball, and after they stretched the Kendal defence, prop Jordan Widdrington squeezed over in the corner, although there seemed to be some debate whether he grounded the ball. 5v3

Five minutes later Lymm extended their lead. Substitute Tom Darbyshire broke a number of tackles to set up a try for fullback Joe Knowles and left wing Cormack Nolan converted for a 12v3 lead.

Chris Park reduced the lead after fifteen minutes, with another penalty 12v6.

Kendal were back in the game with fifteen minutes to go. Lymm were on the attack deep in the Kendal twenty two, and a further Lymm try looked inevitable, only for Kendal right wing Jamie Postlethwaite to intercept a pass. Despite the attempts of a number of Lymm players to catch him, he went the length of the field to score in the corner. Chris Park was unable to convert, but the lead was down to a single point. 12v11.

With ten minutes of normal time to go, further weak Kendal tackling saw them concede two quick tries, to see the game taken away from them again. First Lymm second row Olli Higginson was able to make a long break to set up a try in the left corner for centre Dave Williamson. Nolan putting over an excellent conversion 19v11.

A poor restart kick was run back by Sion Williams, and hooker Pete Allan evaded numerous attempted tackles, to score with Nolan converting. 26v11.

Both teams had chances to score in the final ten minutes, but the game ended with a score line which did not reflect the Kendal efforts, which were again let down by a number of errors.

Kendal

15        Dan Lowther                          [rep : Simon Mulholland]

14        Alistair Thompson

13        Dini Nayo

12        Jason Poleman

11        Jamie Postlethwaite

10        Chris Park

9          Simon Davidson

1          Alistair Livesey

2          Duncan Green

3          Richard Harriman

4          Liam Hayton (C)

5          Reece Tomlinson                [rep : Ben Leacock]

6          Dan Greenwood                             

7          Garry Holmes           

8          Rob Quarry                         [rep : Dan White]

Lymm

15        Joe Knowles            

14        Richard McEvoy     

13        Dave Williamson

12        Nathan Fernyhough          

11        Cormack Nolan

10        Tom Bray

9          Tom Baker

1          Nick Ashton

2          Pete Allan

3          Jordan Widdrington

4          Sion Williams

5          Olli Higginson

6          Tim Oakes

7          Sam Mullarkey

8          Adam Bray

Referee : Geoff Smith        

Kendal 29 (17) v West Hartlepool 13 (3)

Saturday 9^th February 2013

Kendal faced West Hartlepool, the team immediately above them in the table, who were looking for their first away win of the season and vital points in their own desperate fight against relegation.

Kendal started well and had the lead after just four minutes. Simon Davidson took a quick tap penalty, and Richard Harryman made a strong run, breaking the Hartlepool defence. The ball was moved wide and Simon Mulholland was on hand to finish for a try in the corner. Chris Park put over an excellent conversion from near the left touchline. 7v0.

Hartlepool came back into the game, and after twelve minutes Kendal were reduced to fourteen men when Reece Thomlinson was sent to the sin bin for handling the ball on the ground. Hartlepool outside half Stu Waites kicked the easy penalty to narrow the deficit 7v3.

Chris Park re-established the lead with a straight forward penalty, after Hartlepool had been penalised at a scrum near halfway, then gave ten metres away due for dissent. 10v3

Hartlepool continued to press, with Kendal hampered by giving away a string of penalties, and on three occasions being penalised for crooked throws at the line out, when the ball was unsuccessful put to the back of the line.

Dini and Jason Poleman both looked dangerous when given the ball, and at the end of the half Dini was given the ball on the left and made a long run down the touchline, before being caught near the line, with Dan Lowther not quite close enough to take a pass. From the resulting scrum the Kendal pack drove to the line, but the ball was knocked on which gave Hartlepool the chance to clear. Their relief was short lived as Reece Thomlinson made a break from the line out, and the forwards drove Garry Holmes over for the try. Park again put over an excellent touch line conversion, to give Kendal a 17v3 half time lead.

Kendal started the second half strongly, but when Hartlepool set up an attacking opportunity, replacement Adam Jackson became the second Kendal player to visit the sin bin. Kendal continued to press and the game became fourteen a side, when Hartlepool captain Dan Boatman was sent to the sin bin.

The penalty was put to touch and the extra man advantage in the pack was felt, as Liam Hayton took the lineout ball, and his pack drove the ball to the line for Holmes to take his second try. This time Park failed with the conversion. 22v3

Kendal tails were up, and when awarded a penalty in front of the posts, instead of taking the easy three points put the kick to the line. Again the ball was taken short and driven to the line for Richard Harryman to be rewarded with the try, with Park again putting over a difficult conversion 29v3, with twenty minutes to go.

Having established their bonus point, Kendal went off the boil and when prop Alistair Livesey became the third Kendal player to visit the sin bin. Hartlepool put pressure on the Kendal defence which continued to stand firm.

With six minutes to go, a cross field passing movement was finished by Hartlepool outside half Stu Waites for his team’s first try, but he was unable to convert 29v8.

Three minutes later Hartlpool had a second try. Chris Park appeared to be harshly penalised when a the Hartlepool tackled player appeared to have failed to release the ball. The penalty was taken quickly and fullback Hartlepool Luke Mallinson scored. Again Waites was unable to convert 29v13.

Hartlepool were immediately back on the attack, and fears were rising of a repeat of the loss after a long period of injury time at Billingham. This time when a Hartlepool player lost the ball, the referee blew for time having played no injury time, and Kendal had their first win since Bradford & Bingley on the 22^nd of September.

The win saw Kendal leapfrog West Hartlepool, at the foot of the table, but the gap to safety stayed the same as Bradford & Bingley had a big win against Penrith, whose poor away form continues.

Kendal

15        Simon Mulholland              [rep : Adam Jackson]

14        Dini Nayo

13        Dan Lowther

12        Jason Poleman

11        Jamie Postlethwaite

10        Chris Park

9          Simon Davidson     

1          Alistair Livesey

2          Duncan Green

3          Richard Harryman

4          Liam Hayton (C)

5          Reece Tomlinson                [rep : Ben Leacock]

6          Dan Greenwood                  [rep : Dan White]                             

7          Garry Holmes                       

8          Rob Quarry

West Hartlepool

15        Luke Mallinson

14        Greg Edwards

13        Andrew Cheslin

12        Colin Cheslin

11        Scott Butcher

10        Stu Waites

9          Ryan Painter           

1          Ross Woods

2          Andrew Dixon         

3          Adam Coates

4          Alex Barnes

5          Nathan Myers

6          Sam Miller    

7          Dan Boatman

8          Jon Boatman

Replacements

16        Carl Robinson

17        Zac Southern

18        Jay Corbett

Referee : James Bullock