Both sides had the same playing record going into the game last Saturday, three wins and four defeats and that's how it looked for most of the first half. The visitors made a good start to the game and then the home side had good phases of possession, neither defence looked in any great danger as the two teams just about cancelled each other out.
Penrith perhaps went closer with two attacking lineouts close to the visitors line, Liam Tunstall was almost over but Broughton Park's rearguard held sway. The Cumbrians were to lose Tunstall, their influential No8 at the the end of the first quarter with a twisted knee, he was carried off and played no further part in the game and looks as if he will be out for a while.
The home side looked dangerous again when they won a scrum against the head and George Graham got Brad Taylor into space but the cover got to him despite his pace. They then kicked a penalty to the right hand corner, Dan Greenwood took the lineout ball before the forwards rumbled for the line. They were held up and Josh Dowson ran the ball up in front of the posts before it came to the backs, Nathan Wooff then found Matt Allinson who then found Ed Swale with a long pass that got him through the gap and in behind the defence, he jinked over the line for the opening score.
Penrith's lead did not last long, they made a mess of the restart and gifted possession to the visitors and were relieved to bundle the opposition winger into touch on the try line. They then overthrew at the lineout on their own line and the Park forwards set up the driven maul as they caught the Penrith forwards on their heels and scored an easy try. The conversion with the aid of a strong following breeze sailed over and they led 7-5.
Broughton Park then had a chance to extend their lead with a wind assisted penalty but it went wide. It was the home side that added to their score just before half time, again they kicked a penalty to the corner and secured the ball at the lineout. The ball came to stand off Wooff who looked as if he was going to set up Allinson on the charge but instead turned the ball back inside to Jon Fell, off the blindside wing, who picked his way through to score, Wooff then hit an excellent conversion into the wind and Penrith led 12-7 at the break.
They turned round and had the wind at their backs which would make life much easier for them and also the opposition forwards looked as if they might tire and that is about what happened. They scored early in the second period, Greenwood, now at No8, broke from a scrum on his own 22. He made ground to half way before the ball was spun left to Fell on the right wing, he got into the visitor's 22 and turned the ball back inside to Swale who had Mike Stephens in support to bulldoze over. The home side now led by 12 points but still had some defending to do, the Park men looked to have broken through on a number of occaisions but some last ditch tackling kept them out, they even got over the line but spilt the ball.
Penrith nearly scored a pushover try from a 5m scrum but the ball squirted out of the side as they inched forward. They scored soon after some bruising charges up the middle of the field, Will Morgan was to the fore with two big drives, Allinson and Tom Lindsay ran it in before Greenwood took a short ball off Graham on the fringes and broke clean through and ran in at the corner with ease.
Broughton Park were still looking to attack and Penrith scored their final try with turnover ball on their own 22, Taylor and Jay Rossi spun the ball wide to the left where Jamie McNaughton tore into the visitor's half before being tackled. The ball was recycled and Greenwood and Lindsay combined to set Graham away who just about outpaced the cover down the touchline to go over in the corner.
Penrith had got the five point win they were looking for after their poor result on the Isle of Man but they will be bitterly disappoint to lose Tunstall with what will be a lengthy injury, to add to their troubles Allinson received two yellow cards for adjudged high tackles that meant he received a red card and had to leave the field in the last minute. They look for their first away win next week at Anselmians