Fresh from securing their first win of the season against Leek, Kendal arrived on the Wirral hoping to continue their momentum against one of the division's early pace-setters.

Instead, a costly first-half display littered with errors and missed tackles left the visitors with too much ground to recover.

Wirral struck inside four minutes with an excellent individual effort from winger Will Morris.

After Kendal threatened early, the hosts won possession and moved the ball wide, with Morris beating a defender before kicking ahead and regathering to score.

The conversion drifted wide but Wirral had an early 5-0 lead.

Kendal were then dealt an injury blow when Oscar Coxon was forced off with a shoulder problem, prompting the introduction of debutant Mitch Saunders, although Coxon later returned.

Aaron Stephens reduced the deficit to 5-3 with a penalty after 10 minutes.

The visitors' problems deepened as a series of poor kicks handed possession back to the home side.

From sustained pressure, the ball was worked to the left wing where Rafael Van Osselaer crossed in the corner for Wirral's second try after 15 minutes.

Wirral's influential scrum-half Tom Akehurst then produced one of the game's key moments.

The No.9 burst clear on a 60-metre run, beating several defenders before being dragged down just short.

The hosts quickly recycled possession and back-rower James Reeve crossed as Kendal struggled to contain the home attack.

Kendal's task became even harder midway through the half when prop Joe Anderson was shown a yellow card following a high tackle.

Wirral immediately capitalised, hooker Matt Ringer finishing from a well-worked lineout move before Rhys James landed an excellent touchline conversion to stretch the lead to 22-3.

The hosts secured a first-half bonus point before the break when Akehurst crossed from close range following a five-metre scrum, giving Wirral a commanding 27-3 lead at half-time.

Kendal emerged with greater intent after the restart and were unfortunate not to score when Angus Knight was held up over the line.

The visitors enjoyed more possession and territory but could not immediately convert pressure into points.

Instead, Wirral grabbed the next score.

Akehurst completed his brace when he shaped to pass before darting through a gap to touch down under the posts, with the conversion taking the score to 34-3.

Kendal finally earned reward for their second-half improvement after 62 minutes.

Patrick Wolstenholme made the initial break from a scrum and Dylan Douglas finished the move for his first senior try.

Wirral continued to create chances and saw one try chalked off while another effort was held up over the line as Kendal fought to stay in the contest.

Eventually the pressure told, with Ringer crashing over for his second try of the afternoon from close range with six minutes remaining.

The visitors had the final say.

With the last play of the match, Toby Merrick forced his way over from short range to complete the scoring and ensure Kendal at least won the second half 10-12 after a much-improved display following the interval.

Despite the heavy defeat, there were positives for Kendal.

Zane Butler and Angus Knight again impressed, while the lineout functioned effectively throughout despite Coxon's injury concerns.

However, the damage had been done in a first half where errors, poor kicking and missed tackles allowed one of the league's strongest sides to build an unassailable advantage.

Kendal will look to bounce back next weekend when Blackburn visit Mint Bridge.