Kendal vs Harrogate

The first half featured consistent Harrogate pressure but they failed to break a strong Kendal defence. A Mike Aspinall penalty, for an offside offence, edged Harrogate into a 3 point lead after 25 minutes. An almost identical Kendal offence, minutes later, gave him another 3 points and Harrogate seemed to be gaining control.

A period of Kendal pressure followed and Harrogate had to defend desperately to hold them out. Ryan Peacey was Harrogate’s dominant first half player and he showed his ball winning skills on the ground to set up another visiting attack. Kendal went offside in defence and Aspinall’s 3rd penalty made it 0-9 just before the break.

Everything changed after the interval. A fired up Kendal started to exert the pressure and did so in a more dynamic way than Harrogate had managed in the first half. After a bout of aerial ping pong, Kendal flanker, Gary Hodgson broke the Harrogate defence to release 2nd Row, Craig Wilson just inside the Harrogate half. Wilson’s pace and strength took him through some poor Harrogate tackling for a brilliant individual try.

The Kendal pressure continued and Harrogate went offside to give Dan Stephens 3 penalty points. From the restart, it was Kendal’s turn to go offside and give Aspinall a kickable penalty. The ball rebounded from the upright but Harrogate gained possession, recycled the ball and Aspinall’s drop goal restored the 4 point lead.

Harrogate tried to press home the advantage but consistently held on too long in the rucks and mauls. This resulted in slow ball and gave Kendal time to organise their defence. Harrogate frequently turned over Kendal possession but home captain, Duncan Green marshalled his pack well to regain the ball on 3 crucial occasions. From one of those situations, scrum half, James Gough broke blind through some ineffectual tackling. He was held up, just short of the try line but slipped a scoring pass to winger, John Ladell.

Harrogate desperately tried to regain the lead. Aspinall narrowly missed with another drop goal attempt and a wildly palmed ball, from an attacking line-out, gave Kendal the chance to hack the ball into the Harrogate half. In injury time, Harrogate hooker, Aarin Yorke seemed to have the try line at his mercy. However the pass to him was judged to be forward and Kendal held on for a deserved victory.

Kendal: Ireland, Ladell, Robinson, Aloe, Park, Stephens, Gough, Quarry, Green, Harryman, Craig Wilson, Gore, Hodgson, McKain, Charters.

Harrogate: Smithies, McGee, Bottomley, Dench, Broadley (Harris 75), Aspinall, Robinson, Metcalfe (Browne 65), Yorke, McMillan (Davies 60), Spencer, Burns (Chris Wilson 70), Beck Peacey, Lewis.

Referee: Brendan Fitzmaurice (RFU)