Rugby - Invincible Kendal celebrate title double

11:58am Saturday 26th April 2008

Comments (0)   Have your say »

HUNDREDS of fans went to Mint Bridge to hail the undefeated champions of North Division One on Saturday and they were not disappointed as Kendal turned on champagne rugby by running in seven high quality tries against Sheffield Tigers, writes Dennis Aris.

When the final whistle sounded those fans swarmed on to the pitch to see captain Ian Voortman and the team receive the league trophy.

Cheers were doubled as news came in that down at Preston Kendal Seconds had beaten Vale of Lune Seconds to take the Miller Homes League Division One title and were even then hurrying back to the Kendal clubhouse to join in double promotion celebrations which would go on long into the night.

Kendal........................43 Sheffield Tigers...........0 THROUGHOUT the season supporters have watched full-back Hoani Moore's solid tackling, security under the high ball and readiness to spark a counter-attack and thought: "There is a big match to come from him one day."

That day turned out to be the final mach of the season when the super Kiwi scored four great tries during Kendal's 22nd consecutive league victory.

With regular fly-half Dan Stephens on the bench as he was still recovering from tonsillitis Moore took the No.10 shirt with relish and crossed the Tigers' line in the tenth minute, supporting John Ladell's dash for the line and neatly taking the crucial pass when the winger was grounded just short.

Yet in the first half the match was nowhere near as clear cut as the final score suggests for Sheffield applied the majority of the pressure by running the ball at every opportunity.

Unfortunately for them they were up against the best defence in the league and very few tackles were missed, the factor that has been the real key to the side's overall success this season.

Moore's only try of the first half was built on forward pressure around the visitor's 22. After a series of driving mauls Moore was released on a looping run round the defence to score near the posts.

Both tries were converted by full-back Chris Park to give Kendal a 14-0 half time lead.

Despite playing into the wind in the second half Kendal began to dominate and in the 56th minute backs and forwards combined in a long run upfield, from which right winger Luke Ladell supplied a well-timed pass to No. 8 Mark Wilson who barged his way through the final cover to touchdown an unconverted try.

With 15 minutes left the focus switched to the left wing where this season's top scorer John Ladell gathered a long pass from Moore and beat the defence in the corner to give Kendal a 24-0 lead.

With the match won Kendal then cut loose. Scrum-half Gough set out on an audacious run from defensive scrum in his own 22 and made half the length of the pitch before feeding Moore, who outpaced the Sheffield defence to dive in under the posts and complete his hat-trick. Park added the simple conversion for 31-0.

Minutes later the rattled Sheffield threes spilled a pass just outside their own 22 and Moore was uoon it in an instant to kick it on, follow up and touch down his fourth try.

With the final whistle imminent Kendal produced the try of the match. Gough and John Ladell linked down the right before releasing speedy flanker Nick McKain, who sprinted 60 yards to score.

Park converted with the last kick of the game for a final score of 43-0 and the celebrations began.

Comment - Page 14