Once again Head Coach David Preston had to shuffle his resources as he took his side to Burnage being short of two of his strike runners behind the back. The ever willing flanker Tom Lindsay slotted in at centre and young scrum half Hugh Burne started his first senior game on the wing.
These changes did not blunt the Penrith effort and they were in with a decent shout of winning the game right up to the final ten minutes but fell just short. They started well enough, the home side knocked on at the kickoff and although the resulting scrum was a bit of a mess Josh Dowson, at No8, managed to spin away with the ball and Burnage were penalised at the breakdown. Fraser Nicolson stepped up and hit the penalty sweetly for a three point lead.
Penrith went close to a first try when George Graham took a quick penalty and shot off, Jay Rossi was alive to the situation and took the pass in support and got almost to the line but the visitors were penalised at the breakdown and the chance went.
The home side then leveled the scores with a well struck penalty from 30m but Penrith weren't long in replying, Dowson claimed the ball from the restart and Burnage were immediately caught offsid, Nicolson again stroked the ball over. There was little between the sides and the home side were level again after Penrith were penalised when a chaser was impeded as a kick through rolled over the try line and then over the dead ball line.
There was 20 minutes remaining in the first half and there was no further scores before the break but the visitors were rather fortunate to get there on even terms. They conceded a penalty for back chatting to the referee and everyone was surprised when the eminently kickable penalty went wide. They were then reduced to 14 men when the yellow card was shown as the home side threatened under Penrith's posts and in the scramble there was a hand in the ruck. Burnage opted for the set scrum, the Penrith eight had just about been holding their own in the scrums to press and were under pressure here, the scrum edged forward and then wheeled, the ball then squirted out and Graham pounced on it and the danger was cleared.
The second period started with a chance for the visitors, Burnage overthrew a lineout and Graham took the ball at the tail and made inroads before the home side were penalised killing the ball at the breakdown, young Nicolson struck the penalty nicely but just pulled it to the left.
It was the home side who scored the first try, both defences had been sound in a try less first half but their big flanker brushed off two tackles to get in behind the Cumbrian's defensive line and the support finished the move off for an unconverted try. Penrith came straight back from an attacking lineout, Craig Price found jumper Adrigh Cole who was operating at the front of the line, the forwards then set up the maul and put the squeeze on and edged forward for the try line. When the home pack had just about halted the drive Graham spun off the maul, Ross Jackson ran from deep, took the pop pass and made the line. Nicolson's conversion gave the visitors a two point lead.
The lead didn't last long as Penrith failed to take the restart drop out and were penalised trying to recover possession, the penalty was taken sharply and with the defence on it's heels it was a clear run in.
Penrith trailed 18-13 and as the game went into the final quarter they were playing the game in the home 22 and the larger Burnage pack looked to be tiring but that was as good as it got for the visitors. They had chances but these went begging through lack of patience and when a rare clean line break by the home centre set up the the third try it was game over. If their was any doubt a rejuvenated Burnage side put the ball through the phases and scored from the restart with only five minutes remaining.
Penrith to their credit stuck at it and scored from a 5m scrum, Andy Muir on debut put in a strong run in the inside centre channel and with the defence sucked in a long looped pass found Nicolson in space and he had a clean run in. Another score would give the visitors a losing bonus point but as soon as the home side got their hands on the ball it was banged into touch to end the game.
Penrith took nothing from the game but remain in third place in the league, they will need a win in their home game next week against Northwich as they have five clubs behind them within four points.