CONFIDENCE breeds confidence they say and Kendal banked enough of a points cushion with a 20-nil lead by half time for a comfortable victory, despite failing to cross the tryline again.

It was paramount to make the most of the best of the conditions early on before the heavy pitch cut up into a squelching quagmire. And Kendal, with three consecutive wins behind them, had the enterprise and discipline to make an impact in the first half.

Crisper passing and an extra half-yard of pace over most of their opposite numbers, enabled Kendal to force mistakes, which, allied to the visitors' poor tactical decisions, decided the issue.

Good field kicking by the Kendal half-backs meant they were able to play in their opponents' half for much of the first half and retain the initiative up to the interval.

Yet New Brighton might have opened the scoring after four minutes when No. 8 Tui Pulotu broke away from the side of a scrum.

Kendal got back to tackle but conceded a penalty and New Brighton spurned the three points to go for a pushover which came to nothing.

Scrum-half Mark Airey then caused panic for New Brighton with a probing kick upfield and when Stephens' high punt forced a knock-on on the opposition 22, Kendal patiently worked an opening on the right.

Centre Martin Armstrong broke the line and got his pass away in the tackle to full back Simon Mulholland He burst through the gap but was held as he lunged for the tryline.

New Brighton spoiled quick release and the Kendal forwards, who showed great co-ordination and authority all afternoon, set up a 12-man driving maul from the short penalty and lock-forward Dave Preston touched down.

Stephens converted from the 22 line and seven minutes later added a penalty for a ruck offence to make it 10-0.

Straight from the restart, Kendal went back on the attack. Once again Armstrong's forceful running set up the break as the ball was moved out to Jon Ladell, whose chip past the full back bounced kindly for the visitors.

However, the referee had spotted an earlier infringement and brought play back. Stephens kicked to the corner but a knock-on allowed New Brighton to clear their lines only for Mulholland to set Kendal back at their throats with a quick throw-in to Luke Ladell.

Back under siege again, New Brighton wilted and conceded a penalty in front of their posts which Stephens slotted over from 21 metres to extend the lead to 13-0.

New Brighton's persistent offside led to the yellow-carding of skipper Richard Bradshaw on the half-hour to compound New Brighton's problems.

Four minutes later Kendal scored their second try. It came when New Brighton spilled ball in the tackle 15 metres into Kendal's half.

Airey swiftly gave the ball width, searching out his runners on the right and Jon Ladell hared off and beat his tackler for pace on the outside to finish off a 45-metre burst to the tryline, Stephens adding the extras.

At 20-0 down, New Brighton were reduced to 13 men in injury time when prop forward Penisini was put in the sin-bin.

Kendal never rose to the heights of dominating so completely afterwards as the deteriorating playing surface proved to be a leveller.

New Brighton also upped their workrate and retained possession better to launch a series of forward drives which tested the resolve and durability of the home defence.

Kendal remained unshaken by the pounding, the side's fitness and technique plugging any gaps while their solid set-piece work at the scrums and lineouts must have depressed those on the receiving end.

New Brighton kicker Tony Birley was not in the best of form and missed two kickable penalty attempts in the opening eight minutes of the second half which might have given his side a foothold back into the game.

It was only when Kendal lost Airey to the third yellow-card of the match, for going offside at a ruck, that Birley finally put his side on the scoreboard with the easiest of chances.

Kendal could and should have scored a couple more tries. Jon Ladell fumbled a pass with a clear route to the tryline ahead, and then a counter-attack from behind their own tryline was thwarted by a forward-pass after Preston popped up on the wing to bound over.

It was too late for New Brighton when they finally got over the tryline in the 79th minute. Virtually unrecognisable in the mud, flanker Jon Sewell was driven over by his forwards for an unconverted score to close the gap to 20-8, which remained the final score.