Winters Park hosted a crazy rollercoaster of a game last Saturday,
Penrith and Bradford & Bingley shared 99 points, 12 tries, two sendings
off and two yellow cards in an incident packed contest. The lead
changed hands four times and the final result was in question right
until the very end.
Penrith started brightly enough and opened the scoring after good work
by Gary Hodgson, Steve Wood went blind in the visitor’s 22, realised he
was running down a blind alley, threw the ball long back to the open
side where Neil Warnock picked his way through a fragile defence for a
try converted by Wood.
The Yorkshiremen must then have thought Christmas had come early, they
were gifted possession when the ball was chipped out of the home 22
straight to their winger and two phases later they had scored a
converted try. From the restart quick thinking saw the onrushing home
forwards chipped, the ball was fumbled on half way, then hacked on and
touched down for a second converted away try.
Penrith came straight back and looked dangerous every time they had
ball in hand, the visitors were offside in front of their posts and a
Wood penalty reduced the deficit. Penrith went straight back and looked
like scoring again but Bradford were able to steal the ball and hacked
it clear. Penrith were penalised on half way attempting to kill the
ball and the penalty was kicked to the 22 where the visitors had an
attacking lineout.
Bradford had publicly made it clear before the game they intended to
kick start their season here as they had only won one game out of six
and had come to bully the Penrith pack. To a certain extent they did,
bossing the set scrums and making masses of ground on their own ball,
not however on the Penrith ball where Mike Raine was able to secure
possession at the base of the scrum, albeit a bit messy at times but
possession nevertheless.
Their forwards did dominate from this lineout and caught and drove for
the Penrith line, they were halted 10m out when their No8 broke blind
and set the scrum half away for a third converted try. A drop goal
shortly after extended their lead to 10-24 and a home win against one
of the teams at the foot of the league looked a long way off.
The game then swung Penrith’s way as the visitors first had a forward
yellow carded and then their winger sent off for a dangerous spear
tackle. With the visitors down to 13 men the home side profited, good
spade work by Warnock and Mike Hawley gave Wood the chance to dance in
for a try. They then scored another from their own 22, they looked more
like conceding one until Mike Stephens stole turn over ball and was
able to break clear. He them had the good sense when Jon Fell arrived
on his shoulder to ship him the ball as no one was going to catch Felly
over 60m. Wood converted and the home side had their noses in front
25-24 on the stroke of half time. The Cumbrians were then penalised at
the restart and Bradford claimed the penalty and although Penrith
trailed at half time it was a lot better than it might have been.
The drama was unrelenting, from the second half restart James Thornton
jumped to challenge for the ball in the air with an oncoming forward
and was very unfortunate to receive a straight red card for a
misdemeanour very few on the ground saw. The visitors had a chance to
extend their lead but missed the penalty and it was Penrith who scored
next, after a concerted effort and several phases of attacking in the
visitor’s 22 Hawley was found in space wide on the left and he picked
his way through and was able to stretch for the line. Penrith were in
front again and would not relinquish their lead but no one knew that at
the time.
Penrith then had the rub of the green with the referee when they
appeared to knock the ball on in midfield, the ball came to Jon Fell
who sped away, he had a couple of looks back as half the players
stopped but play went on and he stepped back inside the full back to
score under the posts. Wood added the conversion but the contest was
far from over. The visitors won a penalty on half way, kicked to the 22
and then their forwards caught and drove the lineout ball all the way
to the line for a fourth try.
Wood dropped out to restart the game, the visitors looked to clear the
ball but the kick was charged down, first Warnock and then Ryan Johnson
tore into the defence and carried the ball to the line. When it came
wide Ian McDowell, with several options, took the ball himself as the
defenders allowed him the space to run and he made the line and Wood’s
conversion took the lead out to 10 points.
Bradford were far from finished, their forwards were then in the
ascendancy and further reduced the lead from a scrum 15m out as they
humped the home pack unceremoniously over their own line for a pushover
try.
Now with only a 44-39 advantage Penrith were scrambling in defence, it
was all hands to the pumps and prop Craig Rumney in his frantic
endeavours to stem the tide was yellow carded. This meant with Thornton
off the field there were only two front row players and the scrums went
uncontested, the way the laws work Penrith lost a second man and
although it was 12 against 14 it worked against Bradford as the set
scrum is where they were doing all the damage.
Penrith were then able to break the shackles and get up field, Wood
goaled a penalty that put them two scores ahead only for the visitors
to come back with a penalty of their own to reduce the deficit to five
points as the game went into added time.
Wood restarted the game again and as the visitors desperately tried to
run the ball from their own line they were penalised for hanging on to
the ball when tackled and Wood pulled the Penrith lead out to two
scores again with another penalty. A brave Bradford still piled forward
again in an attempt to score and when the ball came to Wood anywhere
would do and he launched the ball almost the length of the field to
just short of the line. Ben Littleton chased as if it was the first
minute of the game, caught the last defender, the ball ran loose and
Jon Fell was on hand to claim his hat trick and rather cruelly on a
valiant Bradford and Bingley side a seventh try for the home side.
It really had been harem scarem stuff, a proper white knuckle ride for
the home supporters but a deserved win in the end. Special mention must
be made of Littleton who made his first home start on the wing, was
pulled into scrumhalf when Penrith lost the influential Paul Newton to
a hamstring pull after 22 minutes and performed with guile and
composure that belied his age and experience. An outstanding display!