Ks are quick to adapt to their new surroundings

The first outing of the league season at the Jack Davies Memorial Ground saw an absorbing game between two sides relegated from Midlands One West last season, writes Glyn Owen.

A large and vocal crowd was anticipating a feast of running rugby in the almost Mediterranean temperatures but the opening exchanges were rather error ridden and failed to produce any discernible pattern.

Dunlop were the more cohesive side in the first quarter making inroads in the wider channels and only an excellent tackle from Will Kendall, who was to have an influential game from full-back, prevented a score.

And it was Kendall who provided the first points with an excellent penalty from just inside the Dunlop half.

With Kenilworth’s set-pieces not quite going to plan, Dunlop were able to make territory and, after a series of infringements, they levelled the scores with a well-struck penalty.

Kenilworth began to show a little more cohesion with both scrum and lineout settling down and the rest of the half would be played almost exclusively in Dunlop’s half.

Kendall extended the lead with another penalty and two close-range tries followed after patient work in the red zone. Scrum-half Gareth Renowden sniped over for the first and prop-forward Nick Collett garnered the second with some opportunistic work from a catch and drive.

Kendall converted both and also added the extras when Jonny Openshaw galloped over on the right.

Kenilworth were in control now and when Simon Tyler finished an excellent move to take the score to 32-3 and claim the bonus point Kenilworth seemed on the way to a comfortable second half.

However, their concentration waned and Dunlop were gifted a try just before half-time after some less than composed defensive work.

The half-time team talk pressed home the need to move the Dunlop pack around and go through the phases.

With Harry O’Brien’s line kicking becoming increasingly influential, this approach was duly rewarded when, after a superb lineout take, Renowden drew in the defence before releasing the backs and allowing centre Mat Holton to score a debut try in the left corner.

Perhaps sensing the game to be won Kenilworth became complacent in defence and began to concede unnecessary penalties.

The result was a converted try after a well-executed catch and drive.

And when Dunlop tore through the midfield after a cleverly disguised delayed pass to score again a few jitters were spreading through the Kenilworth faithful.

But Kenilworth winger Nyle Beckett, who had had a quiet afternoon with little or no ball coming his way, stamped his mark on proceedings after snaffling a bobbling ball on half way. His pace took him away from defenders in typical style and the run in was a formality, as was Kendall’s conversion to take the score to 44-22.

Dunlop, however, had the last word with their right-winger finishing well after a series of drives towards the Kenilworth line.