Kendal Wasps began their return to the North League with a narrow 22-17 win over Peterlee & Horden Valkyries in a tense opening match that went down to the final whistle.
The Wasps took their chances and defended strongly against a Peterlee & Horden side that will feel it could have earned at least a draw. The result gives Kendal an opening victory against one of the league’s stronger teams, after the Valkyries finished fourth last season.
A competitive first half
Peterlee & Horden started the faster, but Kendal gradually came back into the contest. New scrum half Esme Webb quickly took a penalty and made ground towards the visitors’ 22-metre line, although the move ended when Kendal conceded a penalty after no support arrived.
The Valkyries were temporarily reduced to 14 players after 20 minutes when fullback Helen Matthews received a yellow card following a clash of heads in a tackle.
Kendal opened the scoring after 25 minutes. Sophie Postlethwaite made ground down the left wing before the ball was recycled. The Wasps won a scrum and drove Peterlee & Horden backwards, allowing Suzie Winter to pick up and score for a 5-0 lead.
The advantage lasted only five minutes. Valkyries centre Tasmin Thompson, who had originally been selected in the pack and was also a co-captain, scored from close range to level the match at 5-5.
Kendal regained the lead after changes brought Lorne Mellonie and Lauren Oates into the game. Webb again took a quick penalty, Sarah Wilkinson supported the break and passed to Oates, who powered down the wing to score.
The final score of the half also went to the Wasps. Fullback Josie Noble broke down the left and found Postlethwaite, who escaped the covering defenders to score under the posts. The score was recorded as 10-10, although the report noted uncertainty over whether the conversion had been successful.
Wasps withstand second-half pressure
Rain arrived at half-time and made handling more difficult. The Valkyries reduced the gap quickly when back-row player Jayme Calvert scored her second try, making it 17-10.
Peterlee & Horden then spent a long period camped inside the Kendal 22, with another Valkyries try appearing likely. The Wasps held out, and a turnover followed by a kick out of defence finally relieved the pressure.
Kendal punished the Valkyries for failing to turn their attacking pressure into points. Mellonie broke clear and, rather than pass, held on to the ball and cut inside to score. The conversion hit the posts, leaving the Wasps 22-10 ahead.
The hosts were not finished. After further pressure, Kendal held up a Valkyries attack over the line and forced a goal-line drop-out. However, fullback Helen Mathews collected the kick and helped create the try that brought Peterlee & Horden back to 22-17, with 15 minutes remaining.
Kendal had opportunities to make the match safe while attacking in the Valkyries’ 22. Jasmine Cox appeared to have scored, but she had been stopped short of the line and was penalised for failing to release before continuing.
There were nervous moments late on as referee Danny Airey added significant time for several injury stoppages. The Wasps conceded a series of penalties while the Valkyries continued to make progress, but a Peterlee & Horden mistake eventually allowed Kendal to see out the match and celebrate a winning start.
New faces make an impact
The match marked the return of Fleur Stanton, who had missed all of last season and part of the previous campaign because of injury. She joined returning squad members Amiee Sharpe and Sarah Wilkinson in adding experience to a team that also gave debuts to Webb and Isla Ford at half-back, and Cleo Kerslake on the wing.
The report said there was room for improvement, particularly in returning the ball at the breakdown, but suggested Kendal’s back division had shown it could score when given space.
Sarah Wilkinson was named back-of-match, Hannah Metcalfe was forward-of-match and Esme Webb received the opposition’s player-of-the-match choice.
Kendal Wasps are scheduled to face Macclesfield at 3pm on 3 October. The club’s second XV is also due to play Birkenhead Park Wanderers’ second XV on the same date, while Kendal R.U.F.C. are listed to play Littleborough in a cup fixture on 4 October at 2pm.