"It was a good weekend at Mint Bridge. Firstly, the albatross of Darlington Mowden Park was finally cut from our neck, and sunk without trace in the face of one of the most complete Kendal displays of recent times.
Rarely do we succeed in making impenetrable defence coincide with the cutting-edge of adventurous attacking play. On Saturday, however, all aspects of the developing strength of the team were on view.
Tries came in contrasting styles. A sparkling counter attack from deep went through ten pairs of hands, over 80 metres, before Dave Preston, showing an athleticism that defied his second-row calling, took the last pass and covered the final, undefended metre to the line with some style.
The purists were satisfied with the try that brought the bonus point, as Billy Coxon emerged - like a miner returning from the coal face - from a ten-man maul, to claim his second score of the afternoon.
This was in considerable contrast to his first effort which involved an out-rageous pivot and sprint from the 22 that brought the crowd to its feet, and introduced the defenders to the sort of humiliation with which members of the Kendal teams that visited DMP twice last season were uncomfortably familiar.
For those Kendal players, compelled to make close and frequent inspection of the rear of the posts on those dark days, revenge was both sweet and complete.
It is instructive to note that the DMP personnel was substantially un-changed from last season.
While I am sure that the visitors would not wish to remember Saturday as one of their better displays, it provided a measure of the extent of improvements in both attack and defence of late.
The club's triumphs over the weekend were not confined to the National League. The 2nd XV enjoyed a league triumph at Preston, with both Stephen Healey and Stuart Oliver scoring crucial, and spectacular, tries from halfway, albeit crossing the line in contrasting stages of cardiovascular distress.
The 3rd XV unearthed a friendly fixture at unfashionable Garstang, and dismissed their opponents with some ease.
At least as important as Saturday's triumphs, however, were those that followed on Sunday.
Mark Wood, Chris Hayton and the indefat-igable Nigel Pearson are to be commended for the splendid performance of their newly constituted Under-15 squad, who played with real style and no little skill in a thrilling 31-all draw with Otley.
Almost immediately afterwards, the Under-17s cemented victory in their own league with a comprehensive defeat of visitors Sandbach. At least as impressive as the result was the manner in which it was achieved.
Playing with width and ambition, and with some delightful support play, it warmed the cockles of the heart to think that rugby might continue to break out at Mint Bridge for generations to come.
It was a great weekend, appropriately celebrated by the victors' unreserved consumption of the spoils.
It will not always be like this.
Goliath appears once more on the fixture card this weekend, this time with most continents represented in the colours of Bradford and Bingley. However, in this form, anything could happen!
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