Kenilworth are left with too much to do

Kenilworth were left to rue a lacklustre first-half performance which left them trailing their Midlands Two West (South) hosts by 19 points at the turnaround, writes Pete Lindsay.

That they managed to outscore Kidderminster 15-8 in the second half, however, will give them plenty of confidence as they look to make their mark on what looks to be a fiercely competitive division.

Missed tackles were to blame for the visitors’ half-time deficit, with Kidderminster’s fly half/centre partnership ripping through the defence to open up a seven-point lead.

This was shortly followed by another try as Kidderminster put together a 50-metre play with excellent handling from their backs and forwards enabling their winger to score in the corner.

It was not all one-way traffic but Kenilworth were finding it difficult to get their hands on the ball and stop the Kidderminster play at source.

Kenilworth did have their chances and were beginning to look a more cohesive unit towards the end of the half but they suffered a fatal blow when, following a series of penalties inside Ks’ 22, Kidderminster cut through the defence to stretch their lead to 19 points.

Whether it was the shame of a poor performance or James Wadey’s tirade of words at the break, Kenilworth emerged for the second half a vastly different proposition.

Within five minutes, Tom Kendall reduced the arrears by three following a typical bullocking run from Bobby Thompson.

The next ten minutes saw a revitalised Kenilworth make threatening incursions into Kidderminster’s half, highlighted by an incisive break by fly-half Harry O’Brien, combined with solid defence.

Kenilworth’s first try came when they turned defence into attack, with excellent handling and recycling sending Kendall clear for a converted score.

A stolen lineout on Kenilworth’s 22 then laid the platform for several phases of play which eventually culminated in Wadey scoring in the corner to bring it back to 19-15.

With 20 minutes remaining, Ks were beginning to believe a turnaround was possible.

However, injuries took their toll, most noticeably with the loss of Tom Kendall.

There was spirit and belief in Kenilworth’s play that had been missing in the first half and, despite the loss of Andy Whitehall to a sin-binning, Kenilworth were still in the game with five minutes remaining.

A Kidderminster drop-goal stretched their advantage to seven points and, with Ks still sensing a losing bonus point at the very least, the hosts profited from a suspected forward pass to score in the corner.

Kenilworth still found time to respond, but they were held up over the line with the last play of the game.