On a highly emotional day at Winters Park, Penrith got the job done and secured the bonus point win they needed to keep within striking distance of league leaders Morpeth. The afternoon's proceedings had commenced with a minutes silence in respect of Penrith stalwart Ryan Johnson who had died on the training pitch at the beginning of the month. Visitors Aspatria, generously presented Penrith's captain Adan Howe with a wreath of flowers in Ryan's memory.
When the game got underway any thought that local rivals Aspatria were happy just to turn up and make the numbers up were soon dispelled. They had the lion's share of possession early on and even as the game went on and when they went behind, they still had a good share of the ball; it was a testament to the home defence that all this possession didn't lead to any meaningful line breaks and by and large the visitors' ball carriers were stopped in their tracks.
Penrith did get their noses in front after seven minutes, Jamie McNaughton kicked a penalty to the corner and his forwards won their throw to the attacking lineout, Scott Lancaster broke for the line and was stopped short, McNaughton nearly broke through the middle but was again short. A long ball was then flung wide to Fraser Nicolson on the left wing who received it with three tacklers on him, he did well to get almost to the line and when the ball came inside it was George Graham who saw the gap for the opening score.
For the rest of the half there was little in it, Aspatria were well up for it and defended well and battered away when they did have the ball. They had a penalty chance on 25 minutes but it went wide and it was not until the final play of the half that the hosts managed to manufacture another score. They had the West Cumbrians under the cosh as the half ended and had already kicked two penalties to the corners which had been well defended. They were awarded a third 20m out and it was tapped and shifted to Andy Muir playing his 50th game for the club. He ploughed into the defenders and carried on ploughing much further than he should have been allowed and almost made the line, the ball then came left where Mason Lewthwaite found himself one on one a couple of yards out and there was only one winner as he barged over.
The home side now led by two scores at 12-0 and it was probably rather more than they deserved considering the visitors' efforts but the nature of game was to change just minutes into the second period as Penrith added a third try. The visitors were running the ball on their own 22, Lewthwaite saw his opportunity, was up quickly into the tackle and turned the ball over, he got the ball sharply away to Sam Wilson who sucked in the cover before feeding McNaughton who coasted in at the corner.
They weren't long in coming up with the fourth and bonus point try, Penrith opted for the scrum when given a penalty 15m out, they won steady ball which came to the backs and Jay Rossi was hauled down just short and the cavalry arrived in the shape of the forwards and it was captain Howe who bulldozed his way over. The home side then messed up the restart and knocked on, Aspatria won their own ball and then strung together a number of phases in their best spell of rugby of the afternoon and scored in the left hand corner.
Muir provided the grunt to complete the next score after Graham and Howe had done the donkey work getting within striking distance of the line then the sixth try was a thing of beauty. From a scrum wide on the right and the whole width of the pitch to work with the backs ran a first phase move straight off the training pitch, the ball was moved rapidly wide to the left. McNaughton hit the line wide from full back and his searing run took him into the 22 before shifting it to Fraser Nicolson who went in at the corner unopposed and round to the posts.
The final score fell to willing workhorse Chris Jackson, who when he won lineout ball close to the line and was left unmarked simply rolled over the line for the score. A simple glance at the score line did not tell the whole story, the home side had had a difficult afternoon emotionally and added to that an opposing side determined to make things as awkward as possible by giving of their all.
Head Coach David Preston and the rest of the set up were more than pleased with the outcome, they had put a difficult situation behind them, got a game in before the Xmas break, after a three week break and can now look forward to pushing on in the new year.