KENDAL Rugby Club’s victory in the Cumbria Cup final has come as a ‘well-deserved relief’ for the team following an especially difficult season, according to their director of rugby.

Speaking after his team’s 18-10 win over Carlisle on Tuesday night, Steve Whitehead said: “I am just extremely pleased for the players.

“This has been probably the toughest season I have been involved with at the club, with the distractions of the ground move.

“So I am relieved and happy that the players have gone out and won some silverware.

The move has meant that myself and others have been involved with other parts of the club which has at times perhaps left the players lacking support.

“So, especially at this time in the season, this win is needed and well-deserved.”

A wet evening in Keswick made playing conditions difficult and there was a scrappy start with the team giving away a string of penalties. Carlisle opened the scoring after six minutes after two powerful drives from lineouts led to a penalty and a 3-0 lead.

The Kendal scrum was again in difficulties, once been driven off their own put in, and conceding a number of penalties.

However as the half went on the team came more and more into the game and it was only tough defence which forced a number of handling errors that delayed the breakthrough.

Chris Park levelled the scores after twenty five minutes with a penalty, making it 3-3, which remained the score at half time.

John Dervey came on for Jack Lashley at half time with Dom Musetti moving to the front row.

There were fluctuating fortunes at the start the start of the second half.

The Keswick restart kick failed to make the distance, so there was a scrum, only for Kendal to again be penalised, but when the ball was put to touch it made little distance, and John Dervey got up to steal the put in.

Kris Bratton then collected a kick and powered down the wing bouncing Carlisle defenders out of his way, to go from his own twenty two to the Carlisle one.

When he was finally stopped Chris Downham took the move on, and when he was also finally stopped, Glen Weightman chipped the ball through to the line, and while it seemed to roll dead, the referee (on touch judges advice) headed behind the posts to award a penalty try, as Danny Barker had been pulled back when going for the touchdown putting Kendal 10-3 ahead.

The lead was extended after fifteen minutes when the replacement Carlisle fullback tried to run a Weightman kick back, only to be caught and the ball was stolen and moved wide to the wing where Nick Carlton went over for the try that made it 15-3.

There was a late fightback from Carlisle,when more Kendal infringements put them on the attack and their forwards burrowed over. The conversion kick brought them within a score at 15-10.

More penalties conceded did not help the Kendal nerves, but in injury time another good Downham run forced a penalty in front of the Keswick posts and Weightman moved the gap to two scores with a penalty that raised their score to 18-10.

The Kendal forwards, with Jacob Sutton, Glenn Chesher and Robbie Collinson prominent, then played an excellent simple game of keeping their hands on the ball near halfway, to run the clock down and let Weightman put the ball to touch to end the game.

Whitehead added: “The game against Carlisle was on a foul night and they were playing against a very strong and well-drilled Carlisle pack.

“There were a few frustrating decisions, but you always get those on nights like that.

“At times the game could have gone either way.

“We didn’t get to play the expansive game we wanted to go out and play that night.

“But to get a win is a relief.”

Speaking of the season as a whole, Whitehead added: “The team have pulled together and come through the rough patches and developed a new brand of game on the new surface at this club.”