Penrith continued their excellent run of form with a 69-10 win at Keswick.
They stay second in Regional 2 North just five points behind impressive 100% leaders Morpeth.
For Keswick it wasn’t the day to be hit by illness and injuries ahead of kick-off. They were without several key forwards as well as centre pairing Harry Vaillant and captain George Holme.
Talented scrum-half Billy Thompson was playing his final game before jetting off to do some travelling in Australia.
To mark the occasion he was handed the captaincy but it was a hard task as the tone of the match was set in the first couple of minutes.
Penrith sent the ball deep from the kick-off and a home forward looked to drive it out of his 22, he was stopped dead in his tracks by Archie Rattray and then driven back into his 22 faster than he’d come out of it. Then at the first set scrum the home forwards were unceremoniously heaved off their own ball and didn’t win any meaningful ball from the scrums until the final quarter when, because a lack of fit front row forwards, the scrums were uncontested.
Penrith’s forwards completely dominated the scrums against a depleted Keswick pack and that’s how the scoring started.
In the fourth minute, from a five metre scrum, Penrith eased the opposition over their own line and number eight Sam Wilson claimed the score.
Four minutes later the home forwards were again shunted off their own ball and Mike Fearon made the initial break. He then exchanged passes with Jay Rossi before going in under the posts.
Keswick then made a bit of headway and gained decent field position courtesy of a couple of penalties.
When they got another it was nicely converted by Thompson to claw back three points.
Penrith continued to press and from a scrum in the home 22 looked to work the blindside.
Wilson broke and fed scrum half George Graham who looked to draw the last man and put Jamie McNaughton in at the corner.
It worked nicely until the home winger Danny Price slapped the scoring pass down and got a yellow card for his troubles.
While he spent the next ten minutes on the touchline his opposite number McNaughton ran in three tries.
The first was a carbon copy of the previous move from the scrum, Wilson to Graham and in at the corner.
The home forwards got to the restart but were penalised. Graham had the penalty taken and was off before anyone reacted. He was faced with the last defender with McNaughton on his shoulder and slipped him the ball to score.
McNaughton’s third score was a team effort as the ball was spun left to Fraser Nicolson.
He made ground before coming back left and Andy Muir, having a great game back at his old club, provided McNaughton with the scoring pass.
The visitors again scored from the restart and it was Matty Boustead, off the bench for Nick Dudson, who took the scoring pass from James Thompson after some excellent teamwork.
That was the fourth try in 11 minutes and the game was well and truly put to bed.
On the stroke of half time Graham took advantage of another home scrum on their 22 which disintegrated and stole the ball to run the 20 metres to the posts.
Penrith led 41-3 at the break and continued to press at the start of the second half.
After five minutes they were awarded a penalty try as the home forwards attempted to thwart another pushover try.
After another five minutes young hooker Aaron Cavaghan, off the bench at half time, scored the try as his pack won a line-out ten metres out and drove the maul to the line.
Graham grabbed a second try taking advantage as another home scrum, this time on their own line, disintegrated and the ball ran lose.
In the final quarter the game as a contest was over and just petered out.
But Keswick never stopped trying and got themselves a try from a splendid Thompson cross kick that winger Chris Potter won in the air. Thompson added the conversion.
The visitors had the final say when a flowing move was finished when James Thompson put Wilson away wide on the right and he shrugged off the last defender to score their 11th try.
Afterwards Keswick chairman Trevor Keough paid tribute to the departing Billy Thompson, saying: “It’s been great having him at the club. He’s a cracking player and a good lad alongside brother Jack, and he will be missed.
“He’s spending time travelling in Australia but I gather he’s already been in touch with a club in Manley to get some games.”
