Penrith maintained their push at the top of North 1 East with an excellent win against Alnwick at Winters Park, before the game Alnwick sat one place and one point above them in the league at third. Penrith have now positioned themselves so that if they win their catch up game next Saturday against next to bottom Guisborough with a four try bonus point they will go to the top of the league, albeit just on points difference.
This game started brightly enough with both sides looking to play expansive rugby, they both put the ball through the hands at every opportunity and tested each other wide out. Both defences were up to the task but the visitors were having much the better of it, they were playing with the breeze behind them and were much more adept at hanging on to the ball. Penrith were playing nice rugby but weren't putting many phases together and were coughing the ball up too easily, consequently the visitors were having the lions' share of possession and the game was being played almost exclusively in the Penrith half.
They were defending doggedly though and Alnwick only had a couple of chances, their stand off made a nice break when he realised he was faced by a pair of front row forwards and they almost got the left winger clear but in both cases a stretched defence was just about up to the task. The home side had breakouts, Jon Fell almost got himself clear and Harlan Corrie powered through several tackles but they couldn't get a foothold in the Alnwick half and spent most of the first half tackling. The whole side bought into it and they defended well from one to fifteen but with Liam Tunstall and Mike Stephens to the fore.
With their territorial advantage it was almost inevitable the visitors were going to get a penalty chance and it duly came after quarter of an hour when Penrith were off their feet at the breakdown. The kick was nicely struck and the visitors were three points to the good. This did not weaken the home defensive resolve as they stuck to their task. They evened up the score five minutes later when awarded a penalty on half way, George Graham took it quickly but was impeded within 10m so the penalty was moved forward and MIke Fearon took on the long penalty shot into the breeze, he made a good connection and it crept over the bar.
Penrith had their best attacking position just before half time when the Alnwick fullback kicked the ball the length of the pitch and dead from just outside his own 22. They couldn't make anything of the scrum back though and there was no addition to the score before the break. Penrith would be pleased to be on even terms at this stage and the visitors disappointed they had not taken advantage of their superiority.
The second half was a completely different affair, the home side came out of their shells and were on the front foot for most of the half and it was Alnwick's turn to do the majority of the defending. Fearon put his side ahead with a penalty and the defending got more desperate as the Cumbrians began to turn the screw.
Having their noses in front seemed to lift the home side as they warmed to their task, both centres, Phil Armstrong and Matt Allinson put in some storming runs before the defence transgressed again and Fearon extended the lead to six points. He had another penalty shot after one of the visitors got himself yellow carded at the breakdown but this one went wide.
Penrith were to score from the resulting 22 drop out, Jamie McNaughton fielded the ball on half way, beat a couple of tacklers before being dragged down. A bullocking run from Armstrong took play to the 22, scrum half Graham was tripped by a defender on the wrong side of the ruck but managed to get the ball to Ryan Banks who hurled himself at the wall of tacklers. He made a half break and got the ball away out of contact to Mike Raine who found himself in the clear. He rolled back the years as he bore down on the full back, stepped him and left him on his backside then went over for the try and was mobbed by his teammates.
Shortly after McNaughton ran a poor clearance kick back, he rounded the chasers and then cut back towards the posts and looked to have gone over but had been turned on his back as he dived over and the ball was held up. At the resulting 5m scrum the ball came to No8 Raine's feet, he broke left and slipped the ball to Graham as he was held up and the scrum half had the easiest of tasks and spotted the ball down behind the line. Fearon's conversion took the home side three scores ahead and the game looked to be over.
Alnwick were not about to take it lying down and came back strongly and ran the ball with some purpose, the home defence was up to it although their job was made a little harder with 10 minutes to go when Mike Stephens received a yellow card drawing the short straw after the home side conceded a string of penalties. They successfully saw out the closing minutes and can now look forward to their catch up game next Saturday.