Penrith took a side to Widnes that included a number of changes due to injury and unavailability and even included head coach David Preston on the bench. It was a measure of their dominance that at the end of the game they were annoyed they had missed out on a four try bonus point rather than celebrate their first away win of the season.
From the off Penrith looked the more dangerous side and took an early lead when the home side were penalised after the half backs Paul Newton and Matt Allinson combined nicely to take play into the Widnes 22. The kick was almost on the touchline but Mike Fearon struck it sweetly and it sailed over for a three point lead. Fearon got a second chance of a penalty shortly after from a rather easier position, again he struck it nicely but this time just wide, it was the only kick he was to miss all afternoon.
The Cumbrians extended their lead on the quarter hour, No8 Tama Toomata and Newton tidied up scrum ball and the back quickly moved the ball right, a miss pass found fullback Jamie McNaughton who hit the line wide out and he in turn put young Richard Addison away on the wing. He stepped back inside nimbly and no one laid a hand on him as he went in under the posts, Fearon's kick pulled the lead out to ten.
Widnes did have a chance to hit back but were not clinical enough with the final pass, it was Penrith who were to score next. They took a ball against the head on the home 22, Toomata made ground and Fearon and Phil Armstrong got the ball over the line but it was held up. Penrith had a 5m scrum and already had Will Morgan off the field with a blood injury and then Toomata also had to leave the field with blood streaming from his head. This brought coach, Preston into the fray and he scrummed down in the second row for the 5m scrum, Penrith won the ball and got the initial shove on but the scrum then crabbed sideways and Mike Stephens standing in at No8 picked and drove over the line. Fearon's conversion was good and Penrith looked home and dry at 17-0.
The home backs did look dangerous on occasions and their stand off created a try out of nothing, in his own 22 he looked to be well penned in, as the Penrith tacklers look to charged the clearance kick down he fooled them all and made the break getting out of 22 to half way and two passes later they had scored an unconverted try in the corner.
This stung Penrith and they were back on the attack and when the home defence were penalised Fearon kicked a second penalty for a 20-5 half time lead. Penrith looked good value for their lead and even more so when they scored straight away after the break. Toomata took the restart and broke numerous tackles to get to half way before hacking on for a home lineout on their 22. The throw in was crooked and from the ensuing scrum the home pack were penalised and Fearon's unerring boot added another three points.
For 20 minutes the game was strangely quiet, the home side got themselves into the game with some periods of possession and Penrith also had their chances but nothing quite clicked. Penrith were held up over the line and Addison looked to have jinked in in the corner only for the touch judge's flag to bring play back. It was left to the old head of scrum half Newton to add to the score, Widnes conceded a penalty in their own 22 and before they even started to organise themselves Newton had tapped the ball and was over the line.
With the game just into the final quarter Penrith were hopeful of a bonus point try but it was not to come, Addison now at scrum half tried to work his magic and used his quick feet but couldn't just manage. In fact as the game opened up in the final ten minutes it was the home side that profited, first from a catch and drive from the lineout and then from broken play.
Penrith had to be satisfied with a four point win which if they were honest would probably have taken before the game.