Penrith knew nothing less than a bonus point win would be needed to keep their interest alive in their Papa John mini league game against Morpeth.
That is what they eventually achieved with a 36-21 win although in the first half they made hard work of it.
They again fielded a team of youth and experience very similar to the one that had gone down by a single point at Bowdon in the first game and importantly came away with both a losing bonus point and a four try one.
The game started with the visitors on the front foot and after five minutes there was some confusion when a five metre scrum was awarded when a charged down Penrith clearance kick went dead.
Morpeth took full advantage and went through the phases, keeping possession well to eventually work an opening and score a converted try.
The Cumbrians were only minutes in hitting back. Archie Rattray broke from the back of a scrum outside the visitor’s 22 and got past the first line of defence.
Dylan Thompson drove the ball up to the line and Adam Howe was unstoppable from close range. The conversion drifted wide but the home side were within two points.
The Winters Park men now had the bit between their teeth and applied pressure deep in the 22. They worked a catch and drive from an attacking line-out and got to the line but couldn’t just get the final surge over it.
They were attacking again and lost the ball close to the line when they were gifted a soft try. The Morpeth forwards set up steady ball and it was fed back for a clearance kick but the ball was knocked behind the try line and Ross Jackson was the quickest to react and was up rapidly to touch the ball down for the score.
Penrith looked to be in control but just before the break they conceded a penalty which allowed the visitors to kick to the corner and they worked a training ground move from the line-out to score an easy try. The conversion gave them a 14-12 lead at the break.
A strong start to the second half saw the home side score two converted tries within five minutes and that just about put the game to bed.
Penrith dominated the set scrums in the second half when the visitors lost a lock to injury and they opted for a scrum from a penalty on the visitors’ line to score the first.
The scrum was a bit messy but Rattray picked and went from number eight and was strong enough to make the line.
The second try was a bit special. Jamie McNaughton and Rattray had made penetrating runs before the ball came to Kris Bratton on the short side. He had very little room to work in but left the defenders for dead and was then faced with the last man with Rob Coward on his shoulder. A little dummy left the defender rooted to the spot and he finished the move himself.
Morpeth weren’t finished yet and scored a well worked try when they won turn over ball at the breakdown and were now within five points.
They never really threatened again and the longer the game went on the more time the home side spent in the opposition half and 22.
Rattray scored an identical try to his first when Penrith again opted for the scrum when the visitors were penalised on their own line and Nick Dudson scored the final try.
He won a line-out for his forwards with a 50/20 kicking the ball from his own half and running into touch in the 22 The forwards drove the maul from the line-out almost to the line and then released the backs.
Dudson’s diagonal run from full-back split the defence and he scored in the corner. Penrith missed a late penalty in front of the posts after Lewis Elliott had turned the ball over but the game was tied up by then.
The other game went Penrith’s way with Moortown winning at home to Bowdon which means each team have won a home game but three bonus points means the Winters Park men have the advantage and now have to win at Moortown this week to book a place in the semi.
- Penrith 7pts
- Moortown 6pts
- Bowden 6pts
- Morpeth 4pts
