Blaydon 31 Kendal 15

 
The visitors proved to be a bigger stumbling block than their league position might have suggested, 3rd top versus 3rd bottom, and it took Blaydon deep into the second period to finally assert some authority. The visitors were lively throughout and a number of solo breaks kept Blaydon on their toes but ultimately they only had themselves to blame as the home side ran in a couple of tries on both occasions when they were facing 14 men.
Blaydon were caught napping in the 8th minute when Steve Nelson and Kirk Chettleburgh easily penetrated the home defence to send in fly-half Nathan McCloy who also added the conversion.
On 20 minutes the home side hit back with a tap penalty move that took them over the try line but unable to ground the ball and from a line-out prop forward Anthony Harvey squeezed over. Chettleburgh was yellow carded for his part in that action and Blaydon were soon in front when a long pass out gave Jack Appleton a simple score.
A McCloy penalty made it 10-10 at the break but in the 46th minute Kendal lost a second player to the ‘naughty step’, Chris Downham for a flying tackle, and from some constant pressure on the visitors line Blaydon skipper Keith Laughlin dived in to secure try No3, James Guy converting.
With the dust not yet settled Blaydon broke quickly down the right through James Cooney, play was switched to the left and with the visitors defence wide open Guy Graham strolled in for the bonus point try, Guy again on target.
There then followed a severe battering of the Kendal line with seemingly everyone having a go until Laughlin was sent in under the posts for his second, Guy completing the Blaydon scoring at 31-10 with his 3rd conversion.
The game was now virtually wrapped up but the visitors were still going forward in the closing minutes and were rewarded when replacement Jack Lashley broke off from a line-out drive to score in the corner.
John Brennan
Virus-free. www.avast.com