8:59pm Saturday 14th March 2009
By Gazette Sports
A STOPPAGE-time try consigned Kendal to back-to-back home defeats on Saturday as Leicester Lions snatched an 18-13 victory with a late rally.
A Rob Aloe penalty aftter 13 minutes gave Kendal their only points of a first half which they had dominated territorially without making it count.
Full back Zane Butler hacked on dangerously twice in a threatening incursion after 21 minutes but the Lions defence got back to snuff out the threat.
Then when a high tackle cost Kendal a penalty within range, stand-off Blair slotted the kick to level the scores after 27 minutes.
There was a let-off when Blair slipped and missed an equally kickable penalty five minutes before the break, and right on half time the Lions strangely spurned three points with a quick tap penalty that Kendal turned over.
Defences were on top with some magnificent tackling from two committed sides, but in the second half Kendal again battered their way towards the visitors' tryline.
Richard Harryman carried the ball over the whitewash at the end of a terrific mauling sequence but was adjudged held up, and a mesmeric solo run by left winger Lewis Boyd almost threatened to produce the try of the season.
Instead Kendal had to be content with another penalty which Aloe kicked for a 6-3 lead.
Straight from the restart, Lions went downfield and forced a penalty of their own, which change-of-kicker centre Bowden put over to make it 6-6.
Kendal put some scrappy play behind them when they caught the Lions by surprise, working a quick tap penalty swiftly out to the right wing, where young replacement winger Jamie Postlethwaite showed great speed.
Beating one man, he escaped the clutches of another, left in his wake, with a 50-metre run-in down the touchline - a memorable first try in National League rugby for the newcomer.
Aloe's well-judged kick into the strong diagonal wind opened a 13-6 gap.
The Lions came back after Gareth Gore was sinbinned for spoiling play.
Without Gore's lineout presence, the visitors applied intense pressure which which kept Kendal on the back foot.
Initially, a double-movement spared Kendal from a try in the 76th minute, but two minutes later Fagalido was driven over by his forwards and Bowden added the extras to level the scores at 13-13.
Kendal still struggled to get out of their 22 and in stoppage time, the Lions put a big shove on the home scrummage to regain possession and Fraser forced his way over under a heap of bodies for the decisive five-point score.
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