KENDAL welcomed West Derby to the Cinder Ovens for another crucial Kukri North West League Division Five North encounter.

The under-strength visitors travelled with only ten players, while the Greens had a full complement and four substitutes.

Kendal 6, West Derby 4.

Nevertheless, it was 20 minutes before Kendal made their extra man count when Steve Barclay scored with a clean shot from a penalty corner.

Four minutes later Phil Conlin collected Rob Bradshaw's through ball and jinked his way around three defenders before clipping the ball inside the post.

Kendal increased the pressure and John Stanworth's determined tackling back won the ball. His perfectly weighted pass found Conlin, whose shot was deflected in by Steve Barclay at the far post.

Kendal added a fourth goal from Rob Bradshaw, who won the ball in the tackle and cantered upfield unchallenged as Galloway and Barclay drew the defence.

At the top of the D he looked up and nonchalantly slotted the ball around the advancing keeper.

Kendal went into the second half seemingly in control. Incredibly, after scoring for a fifth time when Steve Barclay tucked away a rebound from Phil Conlin's penalty-corner strike, things began to go wrong.

Misplaced or weak passes drew critical comments from team-mates and, as the Greens began to argue among themselves, West Derby saw their chance. For a 20-minute spell the visitors dominated and created four goals without reply to set up a tense finish.

Unfortunately for Rob Bradshaw, a product of that tension was a yellow card. With only one goal between them and both teams playing with ten men, Kendal badly needed a bit of magic to settle them.

It came courtesy of Conlin's pin-point pass from the halfway line which left Ewan Galloway in the clear and the skipper kept his head to lift the ball over the diving keeper.

It was a good day for the Greens as all the teams below them in the table lost.

W'mere 5, Bolton 3rd 3 RESIGNED to finishing no higher than third in NW Division Six, Windermere were nevertheless in no mood to surrender to a lively Bolton 3s side coming from behind to win 5-3.

Windermere were slow starters and went behind to a soft Bolton goal before Matt Hartnett shaped an equaliser for Ashley Chadwick. Dan Prentice then scored his first goal for 13 years with a drive from a Scott Santamera pass that went in off a Bolton foot.

Santamera scored a third goal from a free hit, but Bolton too were playing some fine attacking hockey and pulled a goal back before half-time.

When Bolton equalised soon after the restart, Windermere responded and lifted the tempo. Crisper passing and good movement produced a fourth goal for Mike Hodgson from man of the match Matt Hartnett's pass. Then young striker Will Dolman added to his growing goal tally with Windermere's fifth goal.

Sunday Association COUNTY matches robbed Windermere 2nd of their more talented youngsters for their match with Carlisle 3rd, but those who played excelled in a flattering 8-1 victory. First team goalkeeper Andrew Darling had a run out at centre forward and grabbed a hat-trick, Peter Simm got a brace, as did Ashley Chadwick, while Joel Clarke dabbed in an eighth goal at close range.

Clarke, Stuart Morgan, Tom Matthews and Chris Presso-Morgan, who played a 'blinder' at right back, all looked assured and first-team striker Mike Hodgson had a competent debut in goal.