After the home game against Lichfield earlier in the season they were described as the most complete team we had met. They remain in the top three in the league and are ambitious to gain promotion.
Lichfield took the lead with two good tries, then KC replied with positive play and territorial advantage from an Andy McLellan break and got on the scoreboard with a Chris Pinner penalty.
KC defence tried valiantly, but unfortunately the well-drilled Lichfield backs punished any tackling mistakes and handling slip-ups and in the first half ran in a further four tries, two from their own half against the run of play.
In the second half KC had much more possession, however Lichfield were able to punish mistakes with five further tries in this half. It was good to see that the KC team kept playing positively, Simon Clarke being prominent again.
KC forwards came back into the game with good set piece play and positive loose play. KC pressure told when they won a 5 metre scrum and followed with controlled handling in loose play to push over giving captain Mike Protheroe a try. Pinner converted. This powerful loose play has been a feature of KC this season against most opponents.
KC kept the pressure on in the Lichfield half with good breaks by Simon Clarke, Rhys Kay, Morgan Maxwell and Will Fallows; however the Lichfield defence remained solid. Chris Pinner showed his experience and was prominent in both defence and attack.
KC had another reward when a move through the three quarters allowed Ryan Tiene to outpace the defence to score an unconverted try in the right-hand corner.
As a team KC must be commended for playing well with admirable spirit, they were able to match Lichfield for long periods. The blend of older and younger players is working well and deserve a reward.

Bob Davies