Northwich were too good a side to be dominated for any length of time.

With their strong home form Penrith were hoping to beat a strong Northwich side but on the day they more than had their work cut out.

Penrith 27 Northwich 27
As the coach pulled onto the Penrith car park those who had never been could not fail to be impressed with the set up. The immaculate 4g pitch looked ideal for running rugby, and so it proved although the home side preferred to use muscle, which was extremely effective. With five regulars missing Martin Poste was please to provide some of the Northwich youngsters a chance. Notably, Shaun Burmah, who was given his first start and looked every bit a 1st XV player.

The contest started badly for the blacks as they sustained early pressure. Following a penalty the home side kicked for the corner. They secured the subsequent lineout and created an unstoppable drive to score the opening try on the 5th minute, which was converted. Five minutes later Northwich were awarded a penalty when a Penrith player failed to stay on his feet at the ruck. Nick Baldwin reduced the arrears with a well placed kick. The visitors were starting to get into the match and on the 15th minute scored their first try. From a lineout close to the home try line a maul was set up the ball was moved wide and a nice short pass found Clark who went over to score. Baldwin added the extras and the blacks started to relax. Arguably, the best score of the match came on the 17th minute. A free kick was quickly taken by Poste the ball was moved to the mid-field where Dale made a break and fed Barber, a switch with Husbands gave the youngster a well deserved try which Baldwin duly converted. At his point the match flowed from side to side until the 27th minute when the home side was awarded a scrum deep in the visitors half. A solid platform was created and the ball moved to the centers where a missed tackle gifted Penrith the easiest of scores which was converted. As the half drew to a close the blacks won a lineout and set up an attack. Some nice handling allowed Barber to exploit a gap and sprint for the line. Baldwin converted and the blacks went into the break with a 24-14 lead.

The second half was a different story with the home side applying the pressure. An exchange of penalties was the only scores during the first 20 minutes of the half. On the 68th minute Penrith secured a lineout close to the visitors try line and another well organised maul led to a. unconverted try. The blacks seemed to lose their discipline with Dale and Baldwin both receiving yellow cards. With just 7 minutes remaining Penrith secured a 4 try bonus point with yet another maul from a lineout that the blacks were unable to halt. The extras went begging and side drew level. The remaining minutes were a tense affair and when Dale kicked the ball dead there was a sense of relief tinged with disappointment.
When the other results came in the calculators were in use. Only Douglas and Northwich can upset Blackburn. However, Blackburn only require 3 points from their remaining matches so any upset will be extremely unlikely
Next week Northwich entertain Douglas KO 3pm

1 Joe Maddocks 2 Mike Gough 3 Ben Ridgeway 4 Chris Heywood 5 Tom Clark 6 Sam Naylor 7 Shaun Burmah 8 Martin Balshaw 9 Matt Poste (Capt) 10 Nick Baldwin 11 Tom Husbands12 Richard Dale13 Scott Davidson14 Hayden Skinkis 15 Joel Barber 16 James Wood17 Patrick Fray 18 Adam Bennett