Penrith took a much-changed side to Bowdon for the end of season Papa John cup competition and lost a high-scoring contest 41-40 despite scoring six tries to their hosts five.
Only seven of the side that started the Cup final a fortnight before were included in the side and of those only three of them were playing in the same position.
Most notably Rob Coward was asked to move in from the wing and play scrum half.
What it did do was give the youngsters on the fringes of the side, who’d had little chance throughout the season the opportunity to lay down a marker for next year.
The home side were clearly little changed as they all warmed up in identical gear and had obviously played together for much of the season and they came hard at Penrith from the start.
The visitors needed to defend well from the off and needed some solid tackling and with Dylan Thompson and Joe Spencely to the fore they avoided being over-run and got into the game as they played together for the first time.
The visitors did have a chance to open the scoring from a line-out on the home line but Andy Muir was held up.
The home side were then awarded a penalty try from a similar position as they drove a maul from a line-out close to the line and to add to Penrith’s woes a yellow card saw them have to play with 14 men for 10 minutes.
They conceded a second try after the home side ran a penalty just five metres out and were 14 points down. Heads might have gone down but the opposite happened and they came storming back.
The Winters Park men had the smaller pack but in the set scrum their technique was much the better and they dominated all afternoon. The seven men of Penrith drove the home eight off their own ball and won a penalty.
Before the home side had time to set themselves young Coward had taken the penalty and was over the line.
The visitors were in the home 22 again and when awarded a penalty opted for the scrum. Archie Rattray broke blind from number eight and slipped the ball to Coward who dived in for his second try. The second conversion drifted wide but the Cumbrians were back in it trailing 14-12 as half time approached.
They then had to defend another line-out on their own line, and everyone seemed to ball watch as the throw in went astray and the home centre caught the defence cold when the ball did come out and extended his side’s lead to 21-12 at the break.
Again there was no loss of heart as the visitors scored immediately after the turn round. A nice Kris Bratton break took play out of the 22 up to half way and when Coward arrived at the breakdown there was no cover and he picked the ball and went and scored under the posts from half way.
The lead was down to two points and when Penrith were penalised head on to the posts Bowdon took the points from the penalty and extended the lead to five.
They then scored their fourth try following a break in midfield to lead 31-19 but Coward again kept his side in the game with his and the team’s fourth try. He quickly took a tap penalty on half way and once he caught out the initial tacklers the cover hadn’t the pace to get to him and he went in under the posts.
They then conceded a soft try as Bowdon missed a second penalty attempt and as they ran the ball back a pass went astray. It went loose near the line and the home side pounced and scored a fifth try. They led 38-26 as the game went into the final quarter.
Penrith’s young side were still full of fight. Thompson took line-out ball on the 22, and when it came to Muir in midfield he bulldozed his way through a hoard of defenders to get to the line and when the ball was flipped up to Adam Howe he crashed over.
With seven minutes to go Penrith took the lead for the first time. The home side lost the ball in midfield, where first Bratton and then Thompson and Muir took advantage and got the ball deep into the home 22. From there Rattray’s strength got the ball over the line and Fraser Nicolson’s conversion edged them ahead.
Unfortunately they conceded a penalty from the restart and it was slotted cleanly for a single point lead and although there were a few minutes left try as they may the Penrith lads could not find another score and although defeated they had done themselves proud.
They had also earned themselves two bonus points which keeps their interest in the competition well and truly alive and they will get another chance at home to Morpeth in a fortnight.
