Kendal vs Harrogate

This was Harrogate’s first visit to Kendal’s impressive new facility with a beautifully designed clubhouse and changing rooms. Following recent heavy rain the pitch held up well for running rugby.

Kendal played a fast attacking game for the first ten minutes but both teams displayed solid defences. This limited scoring opportunities but after twelve minutes Kendal’s right wing Bratten collected a Harrogate clearance kick on the half way line and evaded several tackles to score a brilliant individual try under the posts for fly half Weightman to convert. 7 – 0.

Both teams made many errors and after fifteen minutes Weightman, whose tactical kicking was exemplary, kicked a penalty from in front of the posts when Harrogate were adjudged to have handled in a ruck. 10 – 0. With ten minutes of the half remaining Kendal committed the same offence in front of their posts and Harrogate fly half, White, kicked the penalty to make the score 10 – 3.

In the second half Harrogate had the advantage of the stiff breeze and they continued to provide most of the attacking play. The Harrogate backs, with Lawson, Edwards, Rosillo and Doherty prominent, made several attacking moves, which were eventually halted by the Kendal defence. On the right wing Naylor was given plenty of ball but was always forced into touch. Harrogate second row, Boyde, making his first start of the season in the second row, was Harrogate’s man of the match following his frequent running like a gazelle into opposition territory. Harrogate dominated the scrums and driving mauls but it was twenty minutes into the second half when Harrogate pressure led to a high tackle by Kendal which gave White his second successful penalty kick, 10 – 6. A few minutes later the powerful Harrogate pack was penalized for wheeling the scrum in their own twenty two metre area and Kendal’s Chris Park kicked them to a 13 – 6 lead. Further Harrogate pressure gave White his third penalty kick five minutes later, 13 – 9.

Harrogate made several tactical substitutions in the second half but back row forward Martin Dodds had to leave the field with an eye injury. With only a few minutes remaining Kendal were beginning to wilt and Harrogate stole a Kendal lineout ball five metres from the Kendal line. The Harrogate driving maul took them over the line for Harrogate replacement hooker, Yorke, to score the winning try, which was unconverted. 13 – 14.

Harrogate: Doherty, Rosillo, Lawson, Edwards, Naylor, White, Matthews, Ward, Maycock, McEndoo, Brady, Boyde, Dodds, G.Coser, Harvey. Reps: Yorke, MacDonald, Barnard.

Kendal: Woof, Bratton, Ashley, Fearon, Barker, Weightman, Noyo, Chesher, Holmes, Lashley, McKay, Leacock, Sutton, Greenwood, Charters. Reps: Musetti, Park, Dixon.

Referee: Nathan Howarth​​​

Report by Brian Forshaw