Kendal 27 - 21 Birkenhead Park

KENDAL ran in five tries as they beat last year’s runners up Birkenhead Park in the opening fixture of the North One West campaign at Mint Bridge.

New Carlisle recruit Glenn Wightman was available due to injury so Nathan Wooff continured at outside-half as the Black and Ambers looked for a perfect start to the season.

But they got off to a nightmare start when they failed to gather the Birkenhead Park kick off, and whilst the initial threat passed, Park took the lead within two minutes when a player broke away from a lineout drive for an easy run to the line for a converted try.

Worse was to follow as Matty Houghton was forced after after sustaining an injury in the build-up in what would be the first of three injuries to key Kendal players.

With less than first ten minutes played influential centre Dan Lowther was forced off with an ankle injury and replaced by Jordan Johnson.

Kendal had to withstand long periods of pressure over the opening twenty minutes but Park were made to pay for wastefulness when, from a lineout, the Kendal pack set up a powerful drive to the line for hooker Garry Holmes to break away for the try. Chris Park tied the scores at 7-7 with a tricky conversion.

Kendal then took the lead for the first time when James Gough stole the ball from a scrum.

He fed Liam Hayton who passed to Johnson, who looked to be heading for the line, but with the Park defence closing in, he passed to outside half Nathan Wooff to go over the line.

Three minutes later Park pulled three points back with a long range penalty as Kendal went in with a narrow half-time lead.

Kendal started the second half the stronger but it was Park who scored first to re-take the lead with a penalty after five minutes.

Kendal hit back five minutes later when Gough reacted quickest from a disrupted scrum to gather the loose ball and charge over the line.

With fifteen minutes to play, Kendal brought on their remaining substitute, with Billy Coxon replacing prop Duncan Green.

The forwards marked Coxon’s arrival with another excellent drive to the line as James Thompson went over.

The home side began to take control of the half but with fifteen minutes left on the clock Park came back into the game with a try.

James Thompson became the third Kendal player forced off with an injury, with Duncan Green returning to the field, for the final five minutes.

Any nerves were put to bed on the stroke of full time when Hayton finished off more good work by the forwards for the team’s fifth try to open up a two score led at 27 v 18.

An injury time penalty closed the deficit but it was too little too late as Kendal closed out to seal a hard-fought opening day win.