Kendal Rugby Club suffered a 41-20 defeat against Manchester in their first match in four weeks.

The Black & Ambers, who remain level on points with second-from-bottom Stoke On Trent, faced a tough challenge against the second-placed team in the league.

Despite the loss, Kendal managed to secure a bonus point by scoring four tries.

Manchester started strong, with Kendal struggling to gain possession in their own twenty-two.

However, the Kendal defence held firm under pressure.

The first try came from Kendal after ten minutes when Ben Dixon threaded a kick through to Dan Shorrock, who chased the ball and scored, putting Kendal ahead 5-0.

Manchester quickly responded, going ahead 7-5 with a converted try just four minutes later.

Kendal regained the lead three minutes after that, with Tommy Calvert breaking through and passing to Matty Houghton, who set up Ollie Rose for a try, making it 10-7.

The game continued to be tightly contested, with Manchester equalising through a penalty for a high tackle, leaving the score at 10-10.

Building momentum, Manchester scored again, creating a gap with quick passing to take a 17-10 lead.

Kendal faced challenges as they pressed close to the Manchester line but were thwarted by solid defence.

The second half did not start well for Kendal, as Manchester scored again just three minutes in, extending their lead to 24-10.

Manchester continued to dominate, scoring another try to secure their bonus point at 31-10 and adding a penalty for a 34-10 lead.

Kendal struggled with handling errors but eventually scored again with Patrick Wolstenholme going over for their third try, bringing the score to 34-15.

In the final minutes, Kendal needed a quick score but instead conceded to Manchester, who scored again, making it 41-15.

Kendal did manage one last try from Matt Houghton, finishing the match at 41-20.

Kendal will travel to Newport (Salop) on Saturday and will host Birkenhead Park the following weekend in a critical match for the team.