Penrith's poor start to the season was in marked contrast to that of
their visitors, Lymm, who had won six of their first nine games. With
this in mind Penrith made a dream start being 24 points up without
reply after only 20 minutes, they failed to hold on to this lead by the
finest of margins eventually conceding the lead in the final play of
the game. When you're on a winning streak you tend to carry on winning
and when you are not the opposite is often true. Although the home side
could not put their demise down purely to bad luck, a little of luck
could have seen them home when they got so close.
Penrith were ahead as early as the third minute when the visitors were
caught cold and were penalised on their own 22, Steve Wood's boot
claimed the three points and the home side were away. From the restart
possession was secured and Wood launched the ball up the left wing, it
was a awkward high bounce for the winger and the ball remained in the
air long enough for Jon Fell to arrive on the scene and nail the
covering winger, the ball ran loose and James Ellar was on hand to hack
the ball on and then used his footballing skills to place the ball over
the line and win the chase for the try. Wood Converted.
Although at this stage Penrith had all the play with the little
possession they had Lymm looked dangerous and it would be a sign of the
way the game was to go. Penrith extended their lead from a lineout on
the visitors 22, the ball was won at the tail and captain Mike Raine
was released into acres of space and scythed through the little
remaining cover for a second try. Phil Fell went close to scoring next,
he finished off a sweeping move down the right and forced his way over
the line but was deemed to have been held up. From the 5m scrum Gary
Hodgson was put away and almost made the line for the ball to be
recycled and come to Ian McDowell who forced his way through the
remaining cover. Wood sent over the conversion for a 100% kicking
record for the afternoon.
Penrith had spent the whole of the first quarter of the game on the
offensive and were now to spend the remaining three quarters of it on
the defensive. As the tide turned they were to defend increasingly more
desperately seemingly unable, even after having made such a good start,
to impose themselves on the rest of the game. They conceded two tries
either side of the half hour and almost conceded two others as half
time approached and were thankful of the whistle for the break to
reorganise.
Although mainly on the back foot they played much better as the second
half started and were much more calm and composed, the pressure however
was relentlessand they were forced to defend deeper and deeper and
although it took the visitors 20 minutes the try was always coming.
Penrith could not be faulted for their effort in defence only their
ability to play the percentages, hang on to possession when they did
get their hands on the ball and play rugby in the opposition half.
A further try did look in the offing but as the minutes ticked by
Penrith were still hanging on, into the last ten minutes and they
eventually played some possession rugby, up the jumper stuf, driving to
ball through the forwards, pick and go, pick and go. It almost looked
to have paid off but with three minutes left on the clock and a yard
too far and penalised for hanging on.
The visiting pack cheered as if they had won the game, kicked the
penalty to the corner, won the line out and started the last play of
the game. All credit to them, they didn't panic, played with a lot of
patience and waited for the mistake, the home supporters were waiting
for a slip up, a dropped pass, anything, but it was not to come and
eventually they manoeuvered the overlap and scored. The conversion was
the last kick of the game and the home side trudged off thoroughly
dejected, another case of what might have been.