People often talk about games of two halves, this certainly wasn't that, it was a game of three thirds. Penrith were virtually unplayable in the opening third, they scored three quality tries down the left wing but then lost the plot. In the middle third, either side of half time, they were awful, they couldn't do right for doing wrong, made a rash of bad decisions and let a workmanlike Glossop side right back into the game. In the final third they got their mojo back and scored another three excellent tries and ran out comfortable winners.
The visitors were first on the scoreboard though with a forth minute penalty after some good pressure in the home 22 but for the next quarter of an hour it was all Penrith. Dan Richardson won them quick quality lineout ball on the visitor's 22, it was run up in midfield and when it came out wide Mike Fearon hit debutant winger Ben Brookes with long flat pass that put him away on the outside, he was faced with the fullback but stepped inside him at pace and scored a nice try.
Within four minutes Brookes had claimed his second try, Richardson was again involved running the ball up in midfield, the recycled ball came quickly to Fearon. He made a smart, clean break on the half way line, clear through he only had the fullback to beat and drew him giving Brookes, on his outside, a clear run to the line.
Quick reactions and speed of movement by young debutant flanker Archie Rattray got the Cumbrians on the front foot again when the visitor's stand off fumbled the ball, he was on him in a flash won the ball which was them kicked through to the Glossop line. The home forwards piled in and were penalised, the attempted kick to touch landed short and Sam Dudson fielded it on the touchline in front of the grandstand. He ran the ball back and linked with George Graham, he in turn released Brad Taylor who half beat his man before finding Jamie McNaughton. The Penrith centre then stepped back inside at speed leaving three defenders in his wake, he went in under the posts and had now taken over the kicking duties and his conversion meant Penrith led 17-3. It was beginning to look like a rout but the game then changed.
Penrith were still creating chances but they weren't getting finished, a wonderful break by Arran Pamphilon went to waste and if they thought Glossop were going to implode they were wrong. They gifted possession to the visitors when they overthrew a lineout on half way, immediately after they conceded a penalty on their 22 and had to defend a lineout on their own line. This was an open invitation to the visiting forwards who were up for an arm wrestle and they worked a very slick move from their throw and the resulting converted try made the half time score of 17-10 look a little close for comfort.
The second period started no better, a steepling up and under was allowed to bounce and a number of penalties conceded, invited the Glossop forwards, once again deep into the home 22, again they muscled their way over. The conversion levelled the scores at 17 apiece.
Penrith did then improve somewhat, A McNaughton penalty steadied the nerves as they got their noses back in front. Josh Winder then won turnover ball which came quickly to McNaughton in broken play whose break was able to take play deep into the visitor's 22. A home knock on gave the visitors the put in to the scrum, a nudge by the home pack and a steal by Graham gave possession back to the Penrith forwards and Adam Howe crashed over for his second try in two games.
Penrith now had their tails up, a quickly taken penalty and run by Graham set up Pamphilon to go in under the posts and then a break and nicely timed pass by Pamphilon himself saw McNaughton go in under the posts.
Glossop's resilience earned them a third try as they kept plugging away but the Penrith coaching staff were more than happy and they now have a couple of weeks to prepare before traveling to local rivals Carlisle