Kenilworth make it two from two

A glorious mid-September afternoon provided a perfect opportunity for an entertaining encounter at The Glyn Mitchell Memorial Ground, writes Ralph Murray.

The early exchanges suggested that Droitwich would build their game around a strong set scrum and tactical kicking whereas Kenilworth would focus on moving the point of attack and fast hands.

A third-minute Sean Walker penalty put Droitwich in front and Kenilworth’s response was to increase the tempo to a speed which put their handling skills to best use.

Too often, the final pass went astray or an infringement brought the attack to a premature end but in the 17th minute it all came together for a magnificent team try.

Harry O’Brien spotted a gap in the Droitwich alignment and got behind the defensive line. Pat Jenkinson and James Wadey showed great awareness to support the run, with the pass eventually finding Nyle Beckett on the right wing 30 metres from the Droitwich line. A neat step inside took care of two defenders as Nyle cut in to touch down beneath the posts. Tom Kendall secured the conversion to give Ks a 7-3 lead.

Droitwich hit back by playing to one of their key strengths. Awarded a scrum in the Kenilworth half, their pack produced a surge which had the visitors in reverse and gave themselves a penalty in a kickable position.

Although the kick was missed, a clear warning had been sounded that the set scrum would be a challenge for Kenilworth all afternoon.

Kenilworth in turn produced some good phase play but a liberal interpretation of the offside law allowed the Droitwich defence to stifle the plays.

Eventually the hosts were penalised but Kendall pushed the penalty attempt wide.

A promising Kenilworth move was then halted by some blatant handling on the floor which went unpunished and the resultant turnover pushed the visitors back inside their own 22. An attempted box kick landed in the arms of the Droitwich winger who slipped a number of tackles to score against the run of play.

The unsuccessful conversion attempt left the home side with an 8-7 lead at half-time.

The second half opened with Kenilworth adopting a more patient approach and their persistence was rewarded in the 46th minute when good work by the forwards put Pat Jenkinson in close to the posts. Another successful Kendall conversion put Ks six points ahead.

A late tackle on Gareth Renowden produced a further three points for the boot of Kendall, who then further increased the cushion following one too many encroachments from the Droitwich defence.

Droitwich now showed a greater sense of urgency and a break down the left flank led to a try which was converted by Walker to reduce the deficit to five.

Another Kenilworth penalty gave the visitors a little breathing space and the next ten minutes were largely played out in the middle of the field with neither side making any telling incursions.

Droitwich did drag it back to 23-18 with a penalty, but it proved to be the final score of the game as Kenilworth maintained their 100 per cent start to the season.