Penrith would travel home from their local derby with Kendal very disappointed with their performance but happy with the 12-12 result.
They managed to escape with a draw when at one stage they looked as if they may have lost by a margin.
After a cagey start the visitors only had themselves to blame conceding the opening try in the first 10 minutes.
They made numerous unforced errors all afternoon and it was one of these that let the home side in.
After some aerial ping pong and under no particular pressure a high ball was knocked on just outside the 22.
Kendal’s chasers were up in numbers and gathered the ball with most of the opposition players out of position behind them.
Penrith’s scrambling defence got back and stopped the initial run for the line but they were on the back foot and the home side took advantage of the defence being at sixes and sevens.
In the end it was Patrick Wolstenholme who powered through for the try which Aaron Stephens converted.
Penrith continued to make mistakes as the home side put some hits in and the large home crowd got behind their side to give them some real momentum.
The visitors were under pressure and it was all they could do to hang on in there.
Midway through the half they managed a little bit of cohesive play and got themselves back into the game.
Joe Kirkup made a bustling break up the right into the 22 and the pack got there in support to put a series of phases together without releasing the pressure on the home line with a handling error.
The forwards battered the line before the ball came to the backs where Mike Fearon made a half break to the line.
George Graham set up Scott Lancaster on the charge although a try didn’t look on but his strength and determination got him over the line.
Rob Coward’s conversion levelled the scores.
This piece of improved play didn’t spur the visitors on and Kendal continued to dominate.
They were having much the better of the lineouts and their backs looked dangerous on the wide outside.
They went close to regaining the lead when Penrith missed a tackle in midfield and a try looked on in the right hand corner but the ball was knocked on in the act of scoring.
Kendal continued to press and again almost went over under the posts but the ball ran loose and they got the put in to the five metre scrum.
The home set scrum was steady and they spun good possession right and then when it came back left there was an overlap and George Phillipson scored in the corner. The conversion drifted left and they led by five.
Penrith were perhaps fortunate to still be in the game at 12-7 after an error strewn first half, and if they thought things were going to improve after half time they were mistaken.
A knock-on, followed by two penalties conceded, saw them defending a line-out on their own line.
Some excellent defence saw them nullify the attempted drive for the line and then a minute or two later they had to repeat the trick with a second line-out on their line.
Penrith’s play in possession had been poor but there was no questioning their determination in defence, as their tackling and covering was top drawer.
They were then fortunate after conceding a penalty under their own posts for a high tackle.
It was a gimme to put the home side two scores ahead but the home players took the law into their own hands and the penalty was reversed.
As the game entered the final quarter the visitors did manage to string together some decent passages of play.
The home side found themselves under a little pressure for the first time and started to concede a penalty or two.
They gave away two in quick succession and Penrith had a line-out on the home line and they managed to secure possession before driving forward.
The drive was held up just short and Adam Howe rolled off down the narrow side and over the top of the scrum half to ground the ball in the corner.
The touchline conversion was well wide and the scores were level again.
The two sides huffed and puffed as the clock ran down and although Penrith looked rather more likely to break the deadlock the heavy pitch had taken the energy out of the game and they ended up sharing the spoils.
Kendal certainly had the better of things but were unable to turn their domination into points. Penrith’s dogged defence kept them in the game when they could have gone under and neither side could really argue with the final outcome.
