A powerful and clinical performance from Kells saw them run in seven tries against an injury-hit Wigan St Pats side, with the visitors building pressure throughout before pulling away in the second half. It's a win that keeps the youthful Cumbrians in second spot in NCRL's National Leagues Division One.
Kells made a strong start and opened the scoring in the ninth minute when Clarke Chambers showed strength and balance to brush away from a couple of defenders before cruising into the left corner. Ross Gainford was unable to add the extras but the visitors led 0-4.
The game then ebbed and flowed with both sides probing for openings. St Pats showed glimpses of attacking threat and came closest after 24 minutes when Ben Harper fired a fizzing pass to the right edge, but it proved too difficult for Frazer Steele to handle and the opportunity went begging.
Kells responded well to that let-off and began to build momentum through the middle. Substitute Oscar Cook made an immediate impact with a powerful thirty metre surge to put his side on the front foot. From the resulting play-the-ball the visitors shifted the ball quickly, with Chambers again involved alongside Tyce Walmsley before Eddie Calvin finished the move to extend the lead. Gainford was again off target with the conversion, but Kells were in control at 0-8.
St Pats battled hard to stay in the contest and looked to keep the scoreline within reach approaching the interval, but Kells struck a decisive blow in the closing stages of the first half. Moving the ball sharply to the right in the 37th minute, Grant Gainford found space and handed on to Aaron Burns who accelerated clear, racing seventy metres to score. Ross Gainford added the conversion to give the visitors a 0-14 advantage at the break.
Kells began the second half on the front foot and applied further pressure, but St Pats showed resilience in defence to hold their line during a sustained period inside their own twenty. That effort sparked a response from the hosts, and they were back in the contest shortly afterwards when Jack Sproat produced a smart finish from thirty metres out. Isaac Wheatley was unable to convert, but at 4-14 St Pats had a foothold.
However, Kells responded with a decisive passage of play just before the hour mark. The spine of Ross and Grant Gainford combined with Walmsley deep inside the Pats twenty, moving the ball right where Aaron Burns grounded confidently to extend the lead after 55 minutes.
The visitors continued to play with confidence and added a fifth try ten minutes later following a moment of real quality. A superb offload in traffic opened up the defence and the ball was worked wide for Jacob Hodgson to produce an excellent diving finish in the corner.
With the game moving into the closing stages, Kells maintained their intensity and finished strongly. Will Ennis capped an impressive performance by forcing his way over by the posts after 76 minutes, and seconds from the end, Chambers showed his strength once again to beat multiple defenders and grab his second try of the afternoon.
Ross Gainford added both conversions to complete the scoring and wrap up an emphatic victory for Kells, whose control and physicality proved too much for a battling St Pats side
Full-time: Wigan St Pats 4 Kells 34
Date: Saturday 18 April
Location: Harper Street, Wigan
By Dave Parkinson
Photo Credit: 13 Pro Am Community RL
