KENDAL’S social rugby team defeated Windermere Barbarians 22-5 at Mint Bridge in a festive season friendly.

The team, managed by Arthur Perie, took advantage of the fact there was no rugby for the first or second teams, to make use of the Mint Bridge playing surface.

But the mixture of young and veteran players struggled against a spirited Windermere outfit in a very scrappy game.

Kendal scored the first try when Andrew Boardley darted past the Windermere tacklers to dive over the line and held the upper hand to add further points through a John Ladel try and conversion to mak the score 12-0.

Windermere tested Kendal's defence as they looked for a way back into the game before Ladel scored his second try to open up the lead still further at 17-0, and as the home team continued to dominate they rounded off an imposing first half when Rob Warwick scored a try in the corner to make the score 22-0 at the break.

Windermere did better in a relatively uneventful second half, stepping up their attacked play with Kendal spurning a number of chances by dropping the ball in good attacking areas – and they were rewarded with a try to reduce the arrears to 22-5.

But Kendal saw out the closing stages for victory in a game which was watched by a good crowd.