Carlisle comeback ends Kendal's unbeaten run

Defeat for Birkenhead Park meant that the mighty Kendal remain at the top of North One West despite suffering a first defeat of the season yesterday 26-24 in a fierce Cumbrian derby at Carlisle.

Although the anticipated battle of livewire wingers Yousef Sahib and Dini Noyo didn’t materialise (both did score though), this blood-and-thunder affair at Warwick Road went right down to the wire and a Dan Holmes try two minutes from time sent the north Cumbrians wild, and left the travelling Kendal fans to contemplate defeat on their way back down the M6.

With Carlisle beginning the day ninth in the table and coming off a tight comeback win at New Brighton last week while Kendal were destroying Wigton at Mint Bridge, the first score unsurprisingly went to the visitors, Chris Park kicking a penalty for offside on the 22.

Carlisle went on the attack and went through the phases, but dogged defence from Kendal kept the hosts around the 22 line, young openside Henry Wainwright among those making fruitless drives.

Carlisle finally made the breakthrough just shy of the twenty-minute mark, with a 22 lineout on the left brought inside and James Roche found Matt Minett on his shoulder, the full-back cutting between Kendal’s central defenders to score under the posts. Damian Armstrong converted and Carlisle had a deserved lead.

The visitors from South Lakeland seemed galvanised by the try, with Dan Lowther making a probing run down the left but failing to find Noyo on the wing. The referee brought the play back for an offside penalty, but Kendal’s attack broke down when Lowther was unable to take Nathan Woolf’s pass in the centre.

Chris Park looked to have telegraphed a golden chance for the Hornets when he missed Alistair Thompson on the overlap, but Kendal recycled and a crossfield kick to the left was collected by Noyo for the South African winger’s sixth try in two games. Park’s conversion restored Kendal’s three-point lead.

However, Carlisle hit back before half-time. Minett took a high kick in the Kendal half and the hosts spread the ball right for Martin Brodie to break through Noyo’s tackle and score just to the right of the posts.

The conversion made the half-time score 14-10 as Armstrong pulled a long-range penalty wide late in the half.

Rest of report here.