Kendal 33 Warrington 19

A VERY young Warrington side was out-muscled by a well-organised, pack-centred Kendal outfit but recovered from a 19-0 half time deficit to outscore their more experienced opposition in the second period with three delightful tries.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t enough to claim even the bonus point they richly deserved against the promotion-chasing Cumbrian side.

Warrington were on the defensive from the start, as pin-point kicks contained them in their own 22.

However, Warrington’s lightweight pack stood up well against a pack which boasted a weight advantage of more than a stone per man.

The tide was stemmed for twenty minutes but eventually Kendal surged over after four phases following a quick tap penalty.

The visitors managed a brief attack but were soon back in defensive mode and on the half hour Kendal exploited a mix up at the back of a Warrington scrum and scuttled over for their second converted try.

Fifteen minutes later, the Kendal Juggernaut struck again with another try through a driving maul and Warrington were 19 points down.

The second half saw Warrington’s young tyros start to punch well above their weight.

Their set scrum, which was solid throughout and didn’t lose one put-in, continued to supply good ball and Sean Callendar and Phil Lynch kept up a steady supply from the lines.

This possession was used to good advantage when Tom Wood threw a missed pass to Max Caldwell and the teenage wing showed his electric pace to skin his opposing winger and touch down in the corner.

Kendal soon added another seven points to their tally with yet another driving maul.

Warrington replied with the best try of the game when they patiently went through ten phases before another long pass found Max Caldwell and the winger made thirty yards before unselfishly passing inside to Tom Wood and the scrum half strode over to allow his brother Luke an easy conversion.

Kendal again used their forward power to gain a penalty try but the final word was left to Warrington.

A searching kick from Andy Roberts was fumbled and Max Walker was on hand to claim possession.

The ball flashed in-field until debutant back row, John McGill, decided to take the direct route and scorched over between the posts.

“This was the youngest side we have fielded all season,” said coach Darren Abram, “But I think all of the young lads came of age.

“I have nothing but praise for the way they stood up to such strong opposition and then played some delightful rugby in the second half.”