For the first time in weeks, Penrith had a realistic chance of coming out of the game with a result but just missed out, losing 31-29 at home to Driffield.
They had a number of players back from injury and fielded virtually a full-strength pack and had more backs available.
They started the game with belief and were soon rewarded, from a scrum when Harley Johnson ran the ball in hard from stand-off followed by Joe Spencely.
Joe Kirkup made yards and a nicely angled run by Flyn Longrigg took play to the visitor’s line.
A couple of forward drives were just short before Jack Gaskell made his presence felt and made the line for the opening score.
Then, as happened throughout the game, the home side seemed to relax and Driffield came straight back.
Penrith won turnover ball when there was a knock on in midfield but immediately carelessly lost possession themselves with a miss-timed pass and a quick transfer to the visitor’s quick left winger set him away and the score was tied at five apiece.
Penrith were having the better of the first quarter but were just making too many simple mistakes.
They would string a few phases together and build some momentum and then spill a pass or lose possession too easily and release the pressure they were building.
They had one promising piece of play deep in the red zone when the ball ran loose and they only had Ashton Hook to thank for saving a length of the field try with a timely interception.
The Cumbrians did get their noses in front on the half hour after Fraser Nicolson and then Kirkup made ground wide on the right. They took play close enough to the line for Gaskell to smash his way over for a second try.
Again the visitors were back on level terms three minutes later. A penalty was kicked to the corner, following a high home tackle, and the catch and drive from the line-out 20 metres out got to the line for the try.
On the stroke of half time the visitors took advantage when they were gifted the ball after some sloppy play by the home side and after a number of phases scored a third try.
Penrith did have an attacking line-out for the last play of the half but couldn’t fashion a score and trailed 17-12 at the break.
The Winters Park men started the second half badly and poor defending allowed the visitors to camp on their line.
From a five metre scrum their left winger beat his man and was over the line and only the combined effort of Hook and Sam Wilson bundled him out of the dead ball area before he could ground the ball to keep their side in the game.
The home side got themselves back in front after some good pressure play in the visitors’ 22 by their forwards.
The defending side were penalised and Spencely took the penalty quickly to find Arran Pamphilon who neatly stepped the last man to score. Nicolson’s conversion put his side two points ahead.
As happened earlier, no sooner had Penrith got their noses in front then they conceded again, this time making a mess of the restart.
They were penalised and were not able to defend the well-executed catch and drive from the line-out from five metres.
Any hopes of a home win seemed to be dashed when more poor tackling allowed Driffield to score a fifth try and lead by two scores.
Penrith’s spirit was not broken though and they were to have much the better of the final quarter. Good work by Nicolson and Kirkup set up Longrigg on the wide left and he took his second try in two games nicely, to put his side within seven points.
The home side were well on top and the visitors were hanging on, and in the last 10 minutes they had two men yellow carded defending desperately.
Penrith added a further try following a tap penalty 10 metres out when Wilson launched himself at the line at pace and the home side were just two points adrift. The conversion from wide on the left drifted wide and there were five minutes left on the clock.
The home side strained every sinew but couldn’t conjure another try but the final play of the game saw their pack shunt their opposite number off a set scrum to earn a penalty.
The referee awarded them another 10 metres and they had a testing kick at goal to win the game.
It was on the wrong side for a right footed kicker and the breeze would take the ball across the face of the posts and that’s just what happened. The ball was bang on line then drifted to the left and the game was lost, so near and yet so far!
The two bonus points took Penrith out of the bottom four places but a win would have lifted spirits for the post-Christmas games.
They looked like a side that hadn’t played together much and a side who weren’t used to winning and that of course is exactly where they are.
There should be one or two more coming back from injury after the extended festive break when battle will recommence.   Â
