After their poor showing the week before against next to bottom
Middlesbrough the Winters Park faithful were delighted Penrith produced
one of their best performances of the season against next to top
Bradford & Bingley. The Yorkshire outfit came looking for points to
secure second spot and a play off place and went away with their tails
between their legs. Penrith, as they so often do, saved their better
rugby for the better sides and were happy to play a side like
themselves who want to play a bit of decent rugby.
The home side started brightly and were soon ahead with a Steve Wood
penalty, the visitors were seeing very little of the ball and Penrith
looked dangerous every time the ball was moved wide. After spurning
chances to score they did so from a scrum in the visitor's 22, Mike
Raine picked and drove from No8, Ryan Johnson carried the ball to the
line before Wood sent it wide and Gavin Cartmel set up Ed Swale with a
simple chance in the corner, Wood converted for a ten point lead.
The visitors then saw a bit more of the ball and looked dangerous in
possession, when they were able to string passages of play together and
keep the ball they threatened the Penrith line, after one such period
of play they scored an excellent converted try to put themselves back
in the game but on forty minutes, after the visitor's captain had been
yellow carded for persistent infringements Wood kicked to the corner.
Penrith won the lineout and the forwards drove to the line, after
several attempted surges the chance looked to have gone but one last
effort by lock Rob Dawson saw him bulldoze over.
That looked to be a healthy half time lead but Bradford & Bingley
hadn't finished, in the last phase of play in the half they again
retained possession and worked their way upfield to score another well
constructed try. Penrith led 15-12 as they turned around and were good
value for it but would they rue the two or three missed chances.
The second half started with the visitors in the ascendancy, they went
close to crossing the home line before kicking a penalty to level the
scores. The next five minutes were to shape the game, Bradford gathered
the restart and cleared upfield, Cartmel at fullback took the ball, the
visitors chased the ball well and the defensive line were strung across
the field, Cartmel ran the ball back, stepped of his right foot at pace
searing through the gap he had created and for all the world looked to
have the line at his mercy. He was stopped just short but Penrith
retained possession and as the visitors tried to regroup Mike Hawley
made no mistake and dived in at the corner. From the restart the ball
was secured, Johnson ran it in on his 22 and commited defenders, when
the ball came to Wood he immeadiately saw what was on, the ball was
moved from Carmel to Hawley and Joe Nattrass sped over halfway, it was
fed back inside before Cartmel was held up on the line, in the ensuing
mayhem it came to Wood who picked his way over and in two concecutive
passages of play the game had been won.
Penrith's victory was assured went the visitors lost their captain,
dismissed for taking out Swale as he looked certain to score after
chipping the ball past him, Woods penalty shortly after put them three
scores ahead and from there it was plain sailing. Paul Newton grabbed a
more than deserved try and David Preston set up Swale for his second
try of the day with the deftest of passes, super skills from the big
man.
After such a good win and a great performance by the whole team the
burning question is which team will turn up at Lymm next week, if it's
this side Lymm have all sorts of problems, if it's the lot that turned
up the week before it could be a long ride home.