Penrith and Leek played each other three times last season and there was never more than a score divided them so the result on Saturday came as a bit of a surprise. The first quarter of an hour was closely fought and although the home side was having the better of possession and field position there was no sign of what was to follow.
It was one of those wonderful days for the home side when almost everything they tried came off and Leek had a day to forget, they are a decent side and tried to play good rugby throughout but just about every time they slipped up they were punished.
The Cumbrians started well and Andy Rogers could well have scored from the first play of the game but was rather harshly adjudged to have been held up over the line, there was then very little in it as the visitors ran the ball at every opportunity but kept running into Penrith's defensive wall. It was on the quarter hour when the home side opened the scoring, they kicked a penalty to the corner, Archie Rattray won clean lineout ball and they drove for the line. The visitor's defence stopped them just short but after several forward drives it was Rogers who came up with the try he almost scored earlier.
Penrith then scored from the restart, James Thompson tidied up possession, Leek were penalised and George Graham tapped the penalty and went to almost half way, the ball was recycled and came quickly to Jay Rossi who made a searing break and then put away Rattray whose pace left what was left of the cover in his wake.
There was a score from the next restart but this time for the visitors, Graham took the kick and passed to Jamie McNaughton to clear but his kick was charged down and the ball fell kindly for the softest of tries. McNaughton wasn't long in making amends, the visitors knocked on at the next restart. Rattray went right, down the short side, from No8 at the scrum, the ball came left and Adam Howe ran it up hard and the ball then came to the backs, McNaughton hit the line at pace from fullback and with the defence on the back foot picked his gap for the try.
Penrith's next score was very similar to the last, this time from a lineout, Scott Lancaster ran it up in midfield before the ball came to the backs and again McNaughton in the line at pace was able to pick his spot. The Cumbrians now had their tails up and added another two tries before the break, they kicked a penalty within 10m of the line and Rattray took the ball at the tail of the lineout, with the defence setting themselves up for a driving maul Rogers peeled off the tail and bounced off two defenders on the line to pile over. Penrith finished the half with a great attacking move with Rattray taking the ball to the line and Isaac Murray making the half break to put McNaughton in for his hat trick.
They led 38-7 going into the second half and soon added to it, another clever Murray half break set Graham free and he put Thompson through a gap to score without a hand being laid on him. The home side then made a number of changes bringing all three replacements on which rather interrupted their flow but they continued to add to their total; another quickly taken Graham penalty led to the next, good work first by McNaughton, then Rossi and Lee Chapman led to a jinking run by Matty Boustead to reach 50 points.
Boustead claimed a second score when the home side won turnover ball in the Leek 22 as they continued to try and run out of their own 22. The ball was flung wide and high and it was all Thompson, on the wing could do, to reach up and palm it back inside to Boustead who did the rest.
The home set scrum had been more than solid all afternoon and good steady ball at 5m scrums led to their two final scores. Thompson drove from No8 for the first but was pulled down short, after a number of close range drives Chapman was the man who finally got over the line. For the final score Graham and another Murray half break saw Rossi claim his side's 11th try.
Penrith had had a good afternoon and couldn't have done any better but they have not got to get carried away with themselves as they now face two difficult away trips.