After slipping up at Chester last week Penrith got back on track with the clinical disposal of Cleckheaton bagging four points for the win and the all important four try bonus point. It was however not very pleasing on the eye as the match was all but over as a contest after 22 minutes and from there on it just drifted to its conclusion.
Penrith made a terrific start sweeping the visitors aside. In the second minute Mike Raine broke from a scrum on half way up to the 22, Sandy Kerridge ran the ball up before it was moved right, Steve Wood moved the ball to Mike Hawley who beat his own man cleanly on the outside, his line of running angled in to draw the full back and by this time Wood was on his outside shoulder to take the pass and score.
After just another four minutes Raine stole a Cleckheaton lineout throw, Tom Armstrong ran the ball hard up the centre of the field and when the ball came to Wood he seemed to have the easiest of tasks easing past his marker and strolling in to score his second try. The conversion made it 12 points in 6 minutes and it looked as if it could be a cricket score.
It had been too easy too early and the home effort and concentration lapsed a little and the visitors had the opportunity to claw their way back into the game. They won two penalty shots at goal and were successful with the second. This seemed to spur the home side back to life and they then scored a really slick try. Paul Newton covering deep fielded a clearance kick and moved the ball right finding Wood, he then put in one of his trademark chips to the wing which was read by Hawley who stepped back inside to find support, the ball was then moved neatly through the hands and played cleverly out of the tackle by first,
Raine, Mike Stephens and then James Thornton who appeared to have the
line at his mercy, the cover did get to him but James Ellar was on hand
to finish the move off.
Penrith scored from the restart, Newton cleared his line and when the visitors fielded the ball in their own half, Thornton was on hand to bring the defender down and Penrith won the ball; Wood found Ellar on the right wing and with three defenders in attendance he looked to have no chance but he danced down the line only inches from touch and mesmerised his would be tacklers to squeeze in at the corner and then had time to run under the posts. As Wood's third conversion went over after 22 minutes it seemed that was mission accomplished at 26-3, victory in the bag and the bonus point secured.
Not for the first time this season playing under the bonus point system it took the sting out of the game and allowed the opposition some breathing space. If points difference was more vital it would have been a different matter. To their credit Cleckheaton kept plugging away and through their own efforts and some abysmal home tackling narrowed the gap. They were pressing on the home 22 and clipped the ball into the corner where there was no cover, as the full back chased the kick it bounced kindly on it's point back into his hands and he rounded under the posts for an easy conversion.
That was 26 - 10 at half time and the least said about the second half the better. Wood eased Penrith further ahead with a penalty and the visitors managed another try when they ran a penalty close to the line. Joe Nattrass and Tom Armstrong went close before Penrith had a couple of attacking lineouts on the visitors’ line. They didn't cross but with ten minutes to go Armstrong made the game safe, he took an inside ball off Hawley and powered up to the 22 where he was eventually brought down. Everyone stopped as the referee signalled Cleckheaton had infringed but didn't whistle, Armstrong took the ball off Raine to saunter in for a soft try as the rest looked on.
It wasn't the best of games to play in or watch but it was a win; to win comfortably, score five tries and be disappointed says something about this side. League tables don't lie at the business end of the season and they lie third for a very good reason, they are a good side, the next few games will show how good.