KENILWORTH suffered a second successive defeat at the start of the season after losing 47-21 against newly-promoted Long Eaton.
The visitors crossed for three tries courtesy of Chaz Hudson, Harry Thompson and Todd Freemantle at West Park in the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
And the result means Kenilworth sit 11th in the Regional 1 Midlands table ahead of bottom club Derby on points difference.
A flurry of early tries saw Long Eaton race into a 19-point lead only for Kenilworth to respond with a pair of converted tries of their own.
First Hudson scored a catch and drive effort before new signing Thompson dotted down after good work from Kenilworth’s backs.
The visitors trailed by five points at the break and lost prop Ted Bromwich to a knee injury as debutant Gaz Curtis took his place.
However, Long Eaton scored from a rolling maul in the corner shortly after half time to extinguish any hopes of a Kenilworth comeback.
Kenilworth full back Will Morgan then sustained an injury making a try-saving tackle as last season’s top scorer Mark O’Connor entered the field.
Long Eaton stretched their lead with another try before Freemantle marked his 50th Kenilworth appearance with a try which O’Connor converted.
The visitors searched for a bonus point try only for the home side to score two more converted tries before the final whistle.
Kenilworth are next in action against Bromsgrove on Saturday, September 21 with kick-off at 3pm at the Jack Davies Memorial Ground.
Prior to the game, around 60 of the club’s members are walking from Coventry War Memorial Park – the location of Kenilworth’s first-ever game in 1924 against Yeomanry – to Glasshouse Lane as part of the club’s 100-year anniversary celebrations.
