This season Penrith 1st team have relied heavily on their youth section for a core of their side but this Saturday the colts who have done so well for them were all playing for the county side, this added to a bit of an unavailability crisis meant Head Coach David Preston was having to be inventive with his selection. The squad of 18 selected on Thursday was down to 15 by Saturday morning and although Craig Tyson was recruited as a front row replacement the side's coaches Preston and Rattray were both named on the bench.
It was a strong 15, though, that started the game and they got off to a good start against relegation threatened Bowdon. They were ahead as early as the fourth minute after they kicked a penalty to the corner, the lineout ball was won and the forwards set themselves up to drive for the line but George Graham had other ideas and fed the ball to young Mason Lewthwaite, at inside centre, making his first full debut and he crashed over from close range.
Penrith almost scored from the restart, the kick off went dead aided by a strong wind and the Cumbrian pack, who dominated the set scrum all afternoon, easily won steady ball for Graham on the centre spot. He was away and in turn set Lewthwaite away and he looked odds on to score from 40m out. He looked to have done but was adjudged to have been held up. It made little difference in the end as Scott Lacaster broke at No8 from the resulting 5m scrum with Graham on his shoulder, a little show to the scrum half on his outside was enough for the gap to open and Lancaster didn't need a second offer was through it to score.
Penrith were in the ascendancy and a number of chances went begging before they scored again into the second quarter. Good support play led to the score, Dylan Coweperthwaite did well to keep the ball alive on the wing, he almost got his head taken off but avoided being forced into touch and then fed the ball back inside for the move to continue, forceful running by Lancaster and Matt Allinson put Ed Swale in the clear and he outpaced the cover from 40m to score under the posts.
Penrith then had to withstand a period of pressure from the home side on their own line as the first half came to an end, penalties conceded allowed Bowdon field position but stout defence kept them out, a lineout steal on his own line from Dan Richardson made sure his side did not concede and Penrith turned round with the wind at their back with a 19-0 advantage.
The visitors started the second half as they had finished the first, on the back foot and conceding penalties and inviting the home side into their 22, again their last ditch defence was up to the task, Richardson stole another lineout throw on his own line and they weathered the storm.
They did concede a try midway through the half when some slack defending out wide allowed the home winger some space to show he had a bit of pace and he scored a good individual try. Penrith's play had been a little disjointed in the second half but if they could just string a few phases together it looked as if they could score the fourth try to claim the bonus point.
This duly happened, incisive running from first Olly Gutteridge, then Lancaster and Brad Quail took play almost to the line when Allinson got on the ball with three tacklers trying to hold him back. A bit of grim determination and agricultural strength saw him force his way over the line, Penrith had their bonus point and the game looked in the bag.
As the game went deeper into the final quarter Penrith looked to be tiring, prop Tyson had come off the bench to replace Chris Jackson in the first half who had broken his hand and none of the front row had been given a breather. Penalties again allowed Bowdon to kick to the visitor's line but this time they did manage to fashion a try from the attacking position and with the score at 24-12 going into the last 10 minutes there was one or two worried supporters on the touchline.
They needed have worried as Penrith rallied, they almost drove a maul over from a lineout on the 22, they then drove the Bowdon pack off their own scrum on their line and were awarded a penalty, they opted to reset the scrum and the pack again provided clean ball and in the final play of the game Graham picked his way over for a fifth try and a comfortable win.
Penrith could be pleased with their efforts, with the late selection problems and little cover on the bench away from home it was a potential banana skin but a positive attitude and a great effort had seen them home. There were plenty of positives but most pleasing was the emergence of 19 year old centre Lewthwiate who is a great find