Stephens kicks Westoe into touch (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Stephens kicks Westoe into touch

3:55pm Thursday 20th December 2007 in Sport By Dennis Aris

THREE penalties by Dan Stephens effectively disposed of Westoe and turned the North Division promotion stakes into a two-horse race in all probability.

The aggressive South Shields side came to Kendal in third place and a real threat to the Black and Ambers' chance of regaining National Division Three status, but victory by Kendal leaves Westoe nine points adrift with ten matches to play.

Huddersfield, whose game against Hull was called off, remain the only major challenge for the automatic promotion place and everything appears to be lining up for the clash of the season when the top two sides meet at Mint Bridge on January 19.

Kendal, with two victories over the Yorkshire side (one cup and one league) already this season, must be slight favourites on their home turf, but both the previous meeting have been close-run affairs.

Kendal.................................................9 Westoe.................................................3 KENDAL'S undefeated league status often hung by a thread in this dour and somewhat drab match played in winter half-darkness, writes Dennis Aris.

The visitors clearly knew Kendal's attacking potential from being beaten 35-21 on their own ground back in November and strayed as offside as they dared in an attempt to spoil the home side's possession.

It often worked in their favour that the referee rarely took exception to the tactic, but he did whistle up for the offence in the tenth minute and Dan Stephens stroked the ball over from 22 yards and bang in front of the posts.

Westoe applied pressure from the restart, but their most promising attack was brought to a bone-shaking halt as Kendal centre Renier Bester hurled himself into a head-on tackle whose impact could be heard all over the pitch.

Pressed deep towards their own line, Kendal found relief when Stephens booted well clear, but Westoe aggression boiled over after the ball had gone and Kendal hooker Duncan Green was somewhat unfortunate to be sin-binned for raising an elbow in retaliation.

No 8 Mark Wilson, the lightest man in the pack, had to be temporarily sacrificed so that Allen Martindale could come off the bench as replacement hooker.

One man down, Kendal were nearly made to pay when Westoe fed the ball out through the threes, but centre Graeme Haswell knocked on when half a metre short of the tryline.

Kendal also posed a threat with ball in hand and Stephens made a fine half-break before being collared on the Westoe ten-metre line.

With three minutes of Green's suspension left, Kendal found more card trouble when second-row Gareth Gore was binned for infringing at the ruck, but the 13 men held out until Green and Wilson were restored to the fray.

Captain Ian Voortman then snuffed out another dangerous-looking Westoe attack by clattering right-winger Paul Alexander into touch.

In the 35th minute Westoe's tendency to risk offside caught them out again and Stephens made the score 6-0 to Kendal with a carbon copy of his first penalty.

Westoe pushed hard for a try to wipe out the deficit and Stephens was forced to boot clear from well inside the Kendal in-goal area, but Westoe tacklers continued the follow through long after the ball had gone and the resulting melee involving a dozen players ended with Westoe's Alexander receiving a yellow-card and both captains a stern lecture from the referee.

The second half saw Kendal in a much more dominant mood. In one attack, prop Billy Coxon juggled the ball before bursting past two tacklers. Flanker Nick McKain took on the move, but Westoe's defence held firm.

Tiring, the visitors began opting to launch high balls downfield, but full-back Hoani Moore's handling was immaculate under the bombardment. However, a ruck offence in the 50th minute handed Westoe a simple penalty for 6-3.

Five minutes later Stephens gained 35 yards down the left touchline with a penalty and the resulting Kendal drive from the lineout almost brought a try, but flanker Andrew Hudson was ruled to have made a double movement as he touched down.

Westoe infringed again, however, as Kendal turned the screw and Stephens slotted the penalty over from 12 yards for a 9-3 lead.

With ten minutes left the game was still there for the taking and Westoe twice forced penalty lineouts within a couple of yards of the Kendal line, but the 15-man defence, the quality of which has made Kendal a fortress this season, was superb as the line remained intact.