Rugby - County Cup stays at Kendal (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Rugby - County Cup stays at Kendal

11:13am Saturday 3rd May 2008 in Sport By Dennis Aris

FOR the second time in eight days Kendal paraded a cup before their loyal supporters as on Saturday they added the Story Cumbria Cup to the North Division title won the previous week, writes Dennis Aris.

Yet the cup final against Aspatria, on Penrith RUFC's neutral ground,was by no means a pushover as holders Kendal trailed until the 55th minute to the side a couple of divisions below them in the national rugby pyramid.

Missing their two Kiwi stars Nick McKain and Hoani Moore, who flew home after the end of the league season last week and without Ladell twins John and Luke on either wing, because of John's stag celebrations in Benidorm, Kendal's usually cast iron defence was exposed in the opening minutes.

Aspatria carved through for a converted try then former Kendal player Mike Scott, now the fly-half lynchpin for the West Cumbrian side, added a penalty to make it 10-0 with ten minutes gone when Kendal infringed in the ruck.

Aspatria put up strong resistance to the normally dominant Kendal pack, but also gave away penalties and the reliable boot of Kendal fly-half Dan Stephens gradually clawed back the deficient to 10-9 at half time Five minutes into the second half Scott gave his side a boost with a well- taken drop-goal from 30 yards, but the Kendal scrum was now ruling the roosts and, although they were held up twice close to the line, Stephens kicked three more penalties to at last give Kendal the lead at 18-13.

When Kendal drove again for the lineAspatira illegally disrupted the move and a penalty try was awarded. From dead centre Stephens' conversion was a formality to make the score 23-13.

Minutes later the odds tilted heavily in Kendal's favour when prop forward Billy Coxon produced the try of the match.

He scooped up a loose turnover ball near the right touchline and made a superb 40-yard run which just beat the cover defence for a try which Stephens converted for 30-13.

An unconverted pushover try touched down by No. 8 Mark Wilson put the match beyond doubt at 35-13, but in the remaining ten minutes both sides rang the changes with five subs each and Aspatria caused a small flurry of anxiety among the Kendal spectators by running in two good tries, one converted for a respectable final scoreline of 35-25.

After the match Kendal Director of Rugby Chris Hayton said: "Aspatria came hard at us from the start as we expected, but Dan Stephens' kicking put us back on the game plan and our 120-stone pack, the cornerstone of our game, took control.

"Billy Coxon's 50-metre run showed that after 15 years he has lost none of the speed he had when he wo