Awesome win for Cleckheaton at home to Penrith

Cleckheaton opened their account in the 3rd min following good line-out work just outside the Penrith 22. Martin Smith caught and presented the ball well for Dudley to secure and with the front three of Benn, Worsley and Lamptey pulling in tight, the ball was driven towards the visitor’s line. With Penrith on the back foot, Captain Dom Castle scurried down the blindside for a try in the corner. Edwards converted from the touchline.

A score so soon in the match could have indicated that the game was going to be a one-sided affair but Penrith had not come to lie down and pressured Cleckheaton for the next 15 minutes. The visitors were awarded 2 or 3 penalties in Cleck’s 22 and opted to take line-outs. Each time good defensive work by the Cleck pack kept Penrith out and on one occasion led to the visiting No 8 leaving the field after being crunched by Lance Hamilton and Neil Gillan, as he ran the ball in from a shortened line-out. For a short time Penrith played on with only 14 men, whilst they prepared a substitute.

Cleck eventually broke out of their half and earned a penalty 40 metres out but the strong crosswind sent it wide. Penrith, with the advantage of a strong wind behind them were soon back in Cleck’s 22 and their stand-off, Steve Wood, kicked cross-field for Jon Fell to drop on for a try. Wood was unable to add the conversion and the score remained 7 - 5.

Cleckheaton upped the tempo at this point and split the Penrith defence when Edwards showed the ball to Tom Lauriston and then passed it back inside to Matt Callaghan, who outpaced the defence for a long range try. Edwards converting on 31 mins. Penrith came back at Cleckheaton again in the last 10 but could not breach the defensive wall and at half time Cleck held a lead of 14-5.

Penrith came out in the second half, still very much in the game and both sides were able to apply early pressure. Cleck were down to 14 players when Richard Piper was sent to the bin on 46 mins and Penrith looked to use their extra man. However, as they tried to power their way out of defence Matt Piper, reading the play well, intercepted a pass just outside the 22 and sprinted in for a score in the corner, Edwards kick went wide. Cleckheaton introduced their substitutes of Joe South, Mark Chivers and Mark BIllington and were rewarded 4 mins later when the ball went out to the backs and Ross Hayden burst through the Penrith defence for a try. Edwards added the extras to bring the score to 26-5.

In the 70th min and with Cleckheaton camped in Penrith’s 22, it was Visitors’ Darren Richardson’s turn to intercept a pass and score in the corner to pull 5 pts back. However any chance of a nervous 10 minutes were soon dispelled when from a scrum the ball went crossfield and a nicely timed run by Callaghan sent in Hayden for his 2nd try of the afternoon. Simon Bradshaw finished off Clecks try tally in the 78 minute, after finding himself in plenty of space down the left wing. He slipped and stepped a couple of would-be tacklers to run the ball under the posts from the half way line. Edwards converted the try to bring the final score to 38-10