Kendal 15

Lymm 24

National Division Three North

TWO tries in the first half hour gave Lymm victory in their first ever visit to Mint Bridge for a league match.

The visitors were up for it and Kendal had all on to confine a strong pack.

From a catch and drive at a line out up the left hand touch line, there was no stopping the Cheshire pack as they drove for a try, their number eight Bray getting the touchdown. It was first points to Lymm, and Kendal still seemed in the dressing room as they were 5-0 down.

Matters got worse for the Black and Ambers when Richard Harryman was yellow-carded soon after for a technical offence.

Lymm took charge and their strong back row split away down the right touchline and burst through the fragile home defence, putting their full back, Barnes-Smith, through for Lymm's second try.

Chris Park gradually reduced the 10-0 gap with some neat penalty taking, aided by some darting moves, especially up the left touch line.

The home pack started to exert themselves, especially when Harryman returned, and Kendal had Lymm pinned into their own half as the score became 10-6.

A few minutes before half time, Dan Lowther burst through down the right, and put in a fine touch kick towards the opposing 22. Park kicked his third penalty to reduce the gap to only one point, and he could have taken the lead with his fourth and easiest penalty, but it drifted wide of the posts.

Park kicked his fourth penalty in the 48th minute as Kendal took the lead for the first time, and the Cumbrians started to believe in themselves as they roared into action.

Lymm counter-attacked at the other end, but a fine double tackle by Simon Davidson and Chris Park on the tryline stopped a certain try.

Garry Holmes made a great surge down the right, well supported by Ian Voortman, but Lymm scrambled back before Park hit his fifth penalty to make it 15-10 with 13 minutes left.

Lowther made another fine break but as he was being tackled in the Lymm 22 he slung out a wild inside pass and the chance was gone.

But the Lymm pack reasserted themselves, and an unstoppable rolling maul drove the home pack back. The hooker Oakes touched down and Knowles converted his first kick to put Lymm 17-15 ahead.

The visitors were back in front, and scored their fourth and bonus point try a few minutes from time as their captain Higginson charged through a big hole in the tiring Cumbrian defence to gain a touchdown.

Lymm had a nine point lead which they were determined to keep to the final whistle as Kendal’s stamina failed to last the full 80 minutes.

Sadly, the final minutes were marred by a serious injury to Glenn Chesher when he was trapped at the bottom of a ruck.

He was stretchered off with a serious dislocation of his ankle and a broken shin in three places.

Kendal Glen Chesher, Duncan Green, Richard Harryman, Liam Hayton, Reece Tomlinson, Peter Redhead, Tom Voke, Garry Holmes, Simon Davidson, Andrew Boardley, Kale Hutchins, Ian Voortman, Daniel Lowther, Alistair Thompson, Chris Park.

Replacements: David Peacock, Dan Boardley, Ben Alderson.

Lymm Widdrington, Oakes, Brotherton, Giles, Darbyshire, Higginson, Mullarkey, Bray, Baker, Knowles, Fernyhough, Delaney, Smith, Nattrass, Williamson.

Replacements: Allen, Williams, Barnes-Smith.