Kettering Blow MK out of the Water

A heavy pitch did little to slow down Kettering's third team on Saturday, as a ten try performance sent Milton Keynes packing.
Having been on the wrong end of a big defeat at MK earlier in the season, the Blues were keen to show they are no pushovers. It wasn't long before the forwards stamped their authority on the game early, Graham Wilson scoring a pushover try after five minutes, and Ross Lundy going over minutes later after some good play through the middle.

Errors handling the slippery ball limited progress, but another score for Wilson, followed almost immediately by Lundy's second, kept Kettering in control. Kettering were strong and their play solid, but the ball was not finding it's way out wide as much as it could have done - until the second half.

Strong running from Sam Lynett and Freddie Ayears coming off their respective wings gave Kettering an added dimension after the break, which brought results swiftly. Increased threat from the backline put the MK defence on the back foot and the Blues were able to punch more and more holes as the half progressed. Lundy crossed for his hattrick early on in the half (and then having realised that meant he'd have to buy a jug, started passing a lot more often before he increased his bar tab further), after some good support play from the pack.

Though the scoring was regular, and there was more to come, there was plenty of work to be done in defence. MK had several periods of sustained possession, and it took strong tackling and excellent work at the breakdown to keep them in check. Special mention here goes to Sean Marshall, who's huge hit on MK's rapidly progressing right winger stopped the attack dead in it's tracks.

Back to the scoring - A slick line out move put Lee Robinson in, and not long after the restart an opportunist grubber by Ayears put Steve Judge over. Ayears then punched a hole in the line and ran through multiple tackles before offloading to Marshall, who himself went past three defenders to score under the posts.

Not long after, Graeme Wilson broke through and ran 30 metres towards the goal line. Attempting to pass, he managed to throw the ball up in the air in front of him, catch it again, and then offload to Lynett who put Gadget in for a well deserved score in the corner.

There was also a major shock on the cards today. Ricky Payne survived intact until the 64th minute, to the amazement of all around Waverley Road. When normal service was resumed, he was replaced by Connor Stead who acquitted himself well.

A great performance all round led to a well earned win, and hopefully a platform that can be built on in the coming games.

Special thanks go to Simon Marchbank for playing for MK throughout, as well as to Les Beattie and Mke Griffiths for doing a half each.

Team:
Parkinson, Wright, O'Leary (Griffiths), R. Jackson (L Robinson), Gadget, Elliott (A Jackson), Lundy, Wilson; Horrigan, Clelland, Lynett, Payne (Stead), Beattie (Judge), Ayears, Marshall

Man of the Match: Sean Marshall