IT SEEMED an age since Kirkby Lonsdale last took the field but their return to North Lancashire/Cumbria League action at Tyldesley after five postponed matches showed they had not lost their appetite to compete.

After Kirkby lost by a single point in the earlier match with the title hopefuls, the home side were in no mood to let the contest get quite as nerve-racking and their powerful set of forwards laid down their marker early on.

The bulkier pack was always a handful for a re-jigged Kirkby side and a pushover try in the first half was supplemented was another forward-worked effort from a rolling maul before half time.

Kirkby had not got on the scoresheet at this stage but that changed when scrum-half Nick Hird chipped over the top and Mark Squires outpaced the full-back, who tugged him back by the jersey prompting the referee to award a penalty try under the posts.

That score injected hope into Kirkby and for 10 minutes they produced their liveliest spell if still struggling to get over the gain-line to serious effect.

Tyldesley came back to score another try and a couple of penalties in the second half to make sure of the victory.

Kirkby took heart for a good defensive work-out and fly-half Tom Anderson, switching from centre, kicked from hand well and tackled soundly.

Josh Clarke turned over some good ball on the ground at flanker, while the Kiwi No.8 who stepped up from the second team for his debut in the first team made some eye-catching runs from the back of the scrum.

Rugby-hungry Kirkby supporters can watch the side at home to St Benedict's this Saturday at Underley Park (2.15pm), where the Six Nations' England v Wales match will be on television in the clubhouse afterwards.