Penrith's woes continued for a second week, after failing to travel to Wilomslow the week before this weekend they lost at home to near neighbours Keswick who are at the foot of the league table with one win. A good crowd turned up for the Friday evening game under the lights and the large Keswick contingent would travel home more than happy.
No side has a right to win a game and certainly not a local derby, Keswick have several players back fit, they turned up clearly well motivated and played well. Penrith on the other hand, also motivated and up for the challenge played with little guile, seemed only to want to use the battering ram approach, gave away far too many penalties and went charging up blind alleys all evening.
Keswich quickly established a three point lead goaling one of a flurry of early penalties conceded by the home side, it was then Penrith who were in the ascendancy as they were camped in the away 22 with a series of attacking scrums and lineouts. The Keswick defence stood up well in the main to the direct approach from the home side but did concede a try from a 5m scrum. Home No8 Josh Dowson broke from the scrum and was hauled down short of the line, the ball was quickly recycled and Ed Swale fed Ross Jackson who spotted the gap in the retreating defence and scored by the posts, he slotted the conversion for a four point lead.
Keswick pegged Penrith back with a second penalty but it was the home side who were looking the more dangerous, Jackson almost put in Tom Lindsay following his half break but as half time approached Penrith should really have been out of sight because of the amount of possession they had enjoyed deep in the away 22. Keswick though had defended well and it was in fact the visitors who led at the break goaling a third penalty in the last play of the half.
It was the visitors who dominated the third quarter, they scored their first try running back a poor clearance kick and after adding a fourth penalty looked to have the game sewn up with a 19-7 lead. Penrith did get back into the game in the second half and begin to apply some belated pressure, both Adam Howe and Dan Richardson were held up over the line as they stepped their effort up.
Their second score came after the forwards had got to the line, the ball was thrown wide to the right and Jackson almost got over in the corner but was just short, support arrived and it was Mason Lewthwaite who was able to claim the try. Matty Allinson who had just come off the bench struck the conversion over off the touchline and Penrith were now just five points adrift.
For the first time in the game the home side were playing with a bit of verve and got on top of a dogged Keswick side. The set scrums had been fairly even most of the game but the home side were now on top and set up the next score. The visitors had the put in to the scrum on their own line, the Penrith eight turned the screw and under pressure the ball squirted out and Dowson was quickly off the back of the home scrum to take advantage and dive over for the score to level the game. Allinson had the chance to put his side ahead with the conversion but although well struck it went wide.
As play went into added time it looked as if it was the home side who had the momentum and may have stolen the game but that's not what happen, the Keswick right winger got his chance, showed a deal o