As the new season grows ever closer Penrith played their final warm up
game against Steve Wood's St. Benedicts side at Winters Park last
Saturday. The home side were short of a few players, had plenty of
experience up front but were fielding quite a few youngsters in the
backs.
It was a scrappy affair as these pre season games often are but it will
have blown away a bit of the rustiness ready for the season proper.
Early on passes were going to no one, balls were going to ground that
would normally be taken easily but as the game wore on things did
improve and the patterns they have been running in training all summer
began to emerge and it finished a lot better than it started.
Benedicts were always going to provide a stiff physical challenge,
being from West Cumbria they never make things easy and this proved to
be the case. The game was played in a good spirit but was always a good
contest.
Penrith did win 10-7 but it was really too close to call and honours
were pretty even. New centre Phil Armstrong started at stand off, had a
good steady game and almost his first duty was to kick a penalty head
on to the posts. Newly retired Steve Wood was allegedly there in only a
coaching capacity but after only ten minutes was on the pitch as a
substitute and from there on in ran the game for Benedicts without
extending himself, and a very good job he made of it. He was
instrumental in setting up Benny's try with a deft pop pass on the 22
which put the centre in under the posts. Young Josh Dowson dislocated
his shoulder once again trying to stem the flow.
Penrith won the game in the second half with a sweeping move putting
into practice what the have been doing on the training pitch, breaks by
Ed Swale and captain for the day, James Thornton, eventually created
the space to give Phil Fell a run at the line. He took his chance well,
Phil Armstrong hit the conversion impressively from wide out and that
was an end to the scoring.
It would be easy to be negative from this showing but if you took into
account who was missing and also how they were playing the game it was
rather easier to pick out some positives. Youngsters JJ Key and Henry
Hadfield were added to their growing reputation. Thornton lead from the
front and Swale who turned up late had a busy game and kept the
opposition on their toes throughout. Gary Hodgson had a commanding game
and looks like one of the senior players who is going to take a step up
and fill the void left by the influential Steve Wood.
There's still plenty of work to be done and the first team squad could
do with a few additions to cover the inevitable injuries and
unavailabilities that will come their way but they are on the right
track.

Squad:- Carr Thornton Rumney Hogg Bowman Stephens Hodgson Walker Key M
Armstrong P Armstrong Littleton Dowson P Fell Dillane Hadfield
McNaughton Harrison