The Blues continued their impressive run of form with a fine display against one of the top sides in this league, as they dispatched an Ilkeston side who travelled to Waverley Road in third place and confident they could be the first side to lower the Blues colours this season.

Kettering had other ideas and showed their intent from the very start, putting Ilkeston under early pressure, and only failing to score through a mixture of defiant defence and one or two wrong options.

The pressure did tell, however, and Joe Daniel opened the Blues account with a penalty after 6 minutes.

Despite dominating for long periods, the home side were finding it difficult to break through, and it was another 25 minutes before Daniel added a 2nd penalty, as the visitors defended a Blues onslaught, and suffered the loss of a player to the sin-bin.

However, somehow the score remained at 6-0 as the half-time whistle blew.

With everyone expecting an early charge from the visitors, it was Kettering who made the early breakthrough when fine hands led to Daniel scoring an unconverted try in the corner.

Ilkeston found it hard to exert any sustained pressure on the Blues, and when they did the hosts defence held firm and repelled the visitors efforts with some ferocious tackling whenever a breakthrough appeared imminent.

On the hour scrum-half, Tom Bridgeman took a quick penalty and burrowed over for a converted try, before Daniel sealed the win with a further penalty to see the Blues home with a 21-0 win.

RAJ Man of the Match: Connor Collett.