Penrith were eyeing a move up the table prior to their home game with Altrincham Kersal. Warrington, two points ahead of them in the league, seemed to have hit the buffers losing their previous three games and it was difficult to see them getting anything out of their fixture at Kirkby Lonsdale so a win against Altrincham would see Penrith take their place.

Penrith started with some purpose and had the visitors on the back foot from the start, they were pressing for the opening score but it seemed to take some time to come. A good run by Kris Bratton almost opened them up, both Matt Allinson and Ryan Johnson made good yards before earning an eminently kickable penalty which came back off the posts. Mike Fearon made a clean break in behind the first line of defence to enable Harlan Corrie to go close but it was hard work and grunt from the forwards that put the first score on the board.

A second attacking 5m lineout led to clean ball and although the initial drive was thwarted a couple of pick and goes saw the forwards edge nearer and nearer until finally the battling Scott Lancaster took the pick and go and forced his way over low and from short range, Fearon added the conversion and the home side looked to be up and running.

Altrincham were no mugs especially with ball in hand and evened things up on 20 minutes. They kicked a penalty to the home 22, won the lineout ball moved it right and then left and seemed to catch the home defence unorganised and flatfooted and scored the easiest of tries.

Initially this seemed to unsettle the home side as they then put a kick to the corner "touch in goal", were penalised at the scrum and the momentum of the game looked to be changing. The home side then grabbed the initiative when the visitors spilt a ball in midfield, a Penrith boot got to it first and Bratton was on the chase, the ball sat up nicely for him and he looked to have beaten the full back but he just managed to fetch him down and the ball was thrown in the direction of Jon Fell up in support. He hacked on and again the bounce of the ball was kind and he was able to gather it and make the final five yards for Fearon to add his second conversion.

Within two minutes Penrith doubled their lead, Corrie stole Altrincham lineout ball on half way, the ball came to Allinson at stand off who had his openside winger Fell stationed on the far touchline, he found him with a well judged cross field kick. Fell took it in acres of space, made ground up the right, then angled his run infield to make space for fullback Ryan Egerton on his outside who took the pass and went in at the corner. Fearon made up for his earlier penalty miss as he swept the conversion over from the touchline.

Penrith went further ahead with a bit of Bratton brilliance as he set off from virtually his own 22, beat his opposite centre on the outside and just when he might've looked to move the ball wriggled through the last bit of cover and blasted for the line. Fearon's conversion gave his side a healthy lead. As the half finished the visitors had a last throw of the dice and had three lineouts and a scrum on the home line but the home forwards defended resolutely and held them out, had they conceded at that point the second half could have been a much different affair.

As it was the second half just seemed to drift by with the win and the bonus point secured. Nice work down the left by Lancaster, Fearon and Allinson set Jamie McNaughton away who gave an object lesson on how to step a would be tackler for a nicely taken try. For the final score Mike Stephens took tidy ball at the tail of the lineout to set up the marauding Corrie on the charge.With two defending backs between him and the try line it wasn't much of a contest as he crashed over.

Penrith saw themselves move up to fourth in the league but they now have the Easter weekend off before making the difficult trip to Wilmslow. They went down rather lamely 34-0 in the home fixture and will be looking to set the record straight.