Penrith completed a hat trick of cup final wins claiming their third
title on the trot with a deserved win against national league side
Kendal in a hard fought game at Keswick on Tuesday evening. The first
two Cumbria Cup wins were sweet enough but this was much sweeter,
Kendal who play a level higher had not competed in the two previous
competitions but this year had taken the cup seriously. A full squad
had travelled to Aspatria to play in the semi and they put out their
best available side to contest the final, so to beat the best in the
county was no mean feat.
After a poor start to the season and in relegation trouble at the turn
of the year they have finished the season in good form and have reached
mid-table safety with a game to spare. Kendal approached this game as
Kendal do, they play by numbers, play the percentages, put the
opposition under pressure and wait for them to give penalties away and
then either kick the points or put the ball in the corners and put them
under even more pressure, simple but very effective.
This was how the game started, Kendal have a very capable place kicker
in Mark Ireland and he hit two long range penalties for a six point
lead after quarter of an hour, Penrith had not started badly but needed
to up their game, put Kendal under pressure and create some chances of
their own. This they did, Mike Hawley and Steve Wood made telling
breaks but couldn't quite apply the final touch but they were by now
bossing the game dominating possession and pinning Kendal back in their
own half.
They turned pressure into points when Paul Newton jumped to field a
high ball and was taken out in mid air, the penalty was given which he
took instantaneously, Kendal were penalised another ten metres and this
was well within Wood's range and he slotted the penalty to bring the
deficit back to three points. As the half wore on it looked as if
Penrith were not going to be rewarded for their endeavour as attack
after attack were thwarted but when Wood kicked a penalty to the corner
the forwards beat their opposite numbers at their own game, they drove
them back over their own line after winning the linout and Gary Hodgson
was at the back of the driven maul to claim the try.
On the stroke of half time Andrew Irvine who was the corner stone of a
solid Penrith scrummage was yellow carded at the tackle and from the
resultant penalty Ireland again stroked over the kick from distance. At
the break Penrith trailed 9-8 which was not a fair reflection their
dominance but they were still in the game with all to play for.
It was a different Kendal side that started the second half, the pep
talk at the interval obviously served its purpose and the came hard at
the cup holders, for the only period in the game they had them forced
back in their own 22 and won a penalty on the 22 head on to the posts,
Ireland provided the inevitable three points and that could have
changed the course of the game but it didn't. Penrith weathered the
storm and were soon back in command and for the vast majority of the
rest of the game had Kendal penned deep in their own half. They had
four attacking lineouts within sniffing distance of the line and
couldn't quite breach the national league sides defence. Captain Mike
Raine broke from No8 at a scrum on the 22 and almost made it to the
line, Rob Dawson who had one of the best games of his life was in close
support and was held up over the line. Hodgson was also over the line
but was adjudged to have knocked the ball on, the minutes were ticking
away and assault after assault on the Kendal line were repulsed and it
was begining to look as if Kendal were going to hold out for a win they
barely deserved. With four minutes to go they were camped on the line
and all their efforts paid off, the ball came on the short side to Ian
McDowell, he threw a long pass to Hodgson who hit the gap and this time
he was awarded the touch down, Wood converted from wide out and with a
three point lead they just had to hold out for those desperate last few
minutes.
Kendal as you would expect threw everything into attack, the Penrith
rearguard as it had all evening stood firm and when the final whistle
eventually went all hell let a loose, absolute joy. Penrith had played
all the rugby and their endeavour was rewarded, Kendal seemed to play
well within themselves and never chanced their arm. You only play as
well as you are allowed and Penrith had heros all over the pich,
Captain Mike Raine was named man of the match but it could have almost
gone to any of them, Ryan Johnson played out of his skin, Mike Stephens
tackled tirelessly all night. James Sanderson in the centre snuffed out
the vaunted Kendal backs, Joe Nattrass and Ed Swale on the flanks
always looked in control and Gav Carmel at full back posed a danger
running the ball back and the ball was kicked to touch in defence to
keep him out of the game as much as possible.
The Penrith scrummage held firm apart from a short period at the start
of the second half and this was in small part down to the form of Craig
Rumney who has improved all season at put in his best performance when
it mattered. Apart from the desire shown by the Penrith side the
biggest differance between the two sides was experience and guile of
the half backs Newton and Wood, they ran the game, killed a lot of
Kendal's threat at source and steered their team to a memourable
victory. For a side playing against lower league opposition not being
able to create a meaningful try scoring opportunity says something
about the intensity of the Penrith effort.