9:23am Friday 24th August 2007
By Dennis Aris
"WELCOME home," shouted a voice from the stand as South African centre Ian Voortman burst through the Wharfedale Foresters line to score his first try back in Kendal colours, writes Dennis Aris.
The big centre also made several impressively crunching tackles during this match for the Peter Kremer Trophy, displaying the skills he will surely need in more testing circumstances when business starts in earnest in North Division One.
For Saturday's match, played annually for the Peter Kremer Memorial Trophy, became more of a romp than a contest as Kendal outclassed their opponents in a training game played in three 25-minute sessions.
Changes to the line-up were frequent as both coaches considered their options for the coming season, but even with half a dozen first team regulars absent Kendal were dominant in just about every aspect of the game.
Wharfedale's seconds, boosted by a scattering of first teamers, spent most of the match inside their own half after an eighth-minute score when an opportunist centre intercepted an over-ambitious long pass by fly-half Chris Park and galloped 60 yards to touch down for a converted try.
From there on it was all, who levelled with a pushover try finished off by Liam Hayton, converted by Chris Park, four minutes later.
Scrum half James Gough then chased down a long kick ahead and forced the Wharfedale full-back into spilling the ball. Gough picked up and grounded the try, Park again making a sound conversion.
Early in the second half a strong Kendal forward drive put Gary Holmes over in the corner to make it 19-7 before Voortman showed his class by bursting through for try number four. Park's conversion put Kendal out of sight on 26-7.
Another series of changes heralded the third quarter and fitter and faster Kendal camped in the Wharfedale half. The only time the visitors made a serious foray towards the Kendal line a turnover put Gough away and his pass to one of last year's colts, winger Postlethwaite, and the confident youngster sped diagonally through the defence to score an unconverted try.
Number eight Andrew Hudson ran in a sixth try with Park adding the extras for a final tally of 38-7.
n TOMORROW (Saturday) Kendal entertain Aspatria in a practice match (3pm) and on Wednesday round off their pre-season warm up with a trip to Vale of Lune.
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