Rugby - Derby duel to savour at Kendal (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Rugby - Derby duel to savour at Kendal

10:06am Saturday 21st February 2009 in

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SHOULD Saturday’s derby match between Kendal and Fylde be half as exciting as the first meeting between the sides this season, the big crowd expected at Mint Bridge is in for a treat, writes Richard Daniels.

Kendal go into the National League 3 fixture with a point to prove. When the teams met back in September, the Black and Ambbers looked well placed for a win, having built a 24-9 lead against their 14-man opponents.

Instead Fylde staged a stunning comeback that ended with a last-gasp try levelling the scores at 24-24 and only a failed conversion kick just failing to snatch victory.

Kendal coach Jon Nicholson told the Gazette: “Regarding Fylde, they are the team that virtually all supporters and players alike want to beat the most.

“We were all absolutely gutted with the end-result in the away match, even though we earned three league points. “The squad has worked specifically towards the rematch this week and all are hungry for the battle that awaits at Mint Bridge.”

Lock-forward Gareth Gore and flanker Mark Wilson return to the side after being lack withdrawls due to unavailability for last week’s 23-13 reversal at Nuneaton.

Nicholson said: “Nuneaton are the most complete team we have seen this season and with 20 minutes to go we still had every chance of winning.

“A couple of unnecessarily penalties conceded early in the game ultimately being the difference.

“A lot of positives came out of the match two of which were the performances of the two late call-ups Joel Howse and Phil Whitfield, who made a sterling debut for the first team.”

TEAM: Kendal v Fylde (2pm kick-off): C. Park, Z. Butler, R. Aloe, I. Voortman (capt), L. Boyd, D. Stephens, J. Gough, B. Coxon, A. Martindale, R. Harryman, L. Hayton, G. Gore, M. Wilson, G. Holmes, C. Wilson. Bench: I. Ross, J. Howse, R. Tomlinson, M. Gracie, L. Jacobs.

Nuneaton................... 21.

Kendal........................13.

KENDAL travelled to second-placed Nuneaton for a very intense game and in the end they came up just short of a deserved losing bonus point.

Nuneaton went ahead after putting Kendal under early pressure, forcing a penalty from which scrum-half Huw Thomas made no mistake.

Kendal levelled the scores through a Dan Stephens penalty two minutes later for a ruck offence. But Nuneaton again took the lead in the 16th minute when Thomas struck over a long-range penalty.

Nuneaton continued on top and extended their lead on the half hour mark. A well-worked lineout move produced the game’s first try.

Nuneaton threw to two in the line he passed back to hooker Adam Bray, who set off down the narrow side, evading a tackle to score an unconverted try in the corner.

A second try soon followed. Centre Tim Douglas returned a downfield kick from Kendal with interest, linked with his stand-off Rob Cook and his crossfield chip could not have bounced better for right wing Cave, who rounded the stranded Kendal defence to score a try under the posts.

Thomas added the extras to give the home side an 18-3 lead with ten minutes of the first half remaining.

For most of that time the Kendal forwards were camped on the Nuneaton defence but no matter how hard they battered away they could not break through the well-drilled, obdurate defence.

Kendal started the second half as they had finished the first and were rewarded with an unconverted try, scored from close range by second row Liam Hayton.

A second try followed six minutes later when speedster Lewis Boyd made light of the clarty surface to race away from the defence and score in the corner to bring Kendal within five points.

Kendal pressed on with the momentum they now had in the game and their forwards again bashed away at the Nuneaton tryine. The ball was then spun wide but the home defence held firm and repelled the danger.

Moments later and Kendal were forced into conceding a penalty and for a third time Thomas hit the target.

Kendal had one final throw of the dice when Boyd was released on a sprint to the line but a last-ditch tackle denied him a second try and also denied Kendal a bonus point.