Penrith Rugby Club got back to something like proper rugby after their 87-39 defeat at Manchester the week before, with a 29-19 home win against Firwood Waterloo.

The victory was more than welcome after three successive defeats saw the Cumbrians just three points above the relegation zone.

Penrith started well and, even though they were playing into a strong wind, spent the majority of the first quarter deep in the visitor’s 22.

Conditions were not easy and they were tending to rush things when they needn’t have. But they did put the opposition under severe pressure and they gave away a string of penalties.

Penrith kicked a penalty to the corner and, when Craig Price found Mike Raine at the front of the line, the Penrith forwards set-up the maul and drove for the line. 

Despite the Waterloo forwards having the weight advantage, the home side got the nudge on and Kiwi Ryan Lee eventually got over in the corner.

Another penalty produced a line-out but, this time, the driven maul went to ground. So, in the conditions, the forwards kept the pressure on with a series of pick and goes and drives close to the the breakdown.

It was successful as Adam Howe burst through the last line of defence to barrel over for the second unconverted try.

The game went into the second quarter and the visitors had hardly had a sniff of the ball or been out of their own half.

When they did finally get hold of the ball they looked effective, especially in the backs and put this to good use as they scored two tries in five minutes and, for this brief period, made the home midfield defence look very pedestrian. 

After dominating most of the game, the home side now trailed 14-10.

Ben Littleton, helping out in a crisis, was playing his first game of the season on the left wing and was playing as if he hadn’t been away.

When he took a clearance kick under the grandstand on halfway, he sparked Penrith’s third try.

He outpaced the chasers and made an arcing run towards the right flank before putting a clever chip in behind the visitor’s back line. The ball sat up nicely for Olly May who took it at pace and stepped back inside two defenders before playing it out of contact to James Hogg whose line of running was excellent.

He released it nicely to Lee Chapman who ran the ball in from the 22 without a hand being laid on him. 

The score was beside the posts and the conversion went over.

Penrith had a three-point advantage at the break and never looked in any real danger in the second half.

On a number of occasions, Nathan Wooff would intelligently use the wind to move his forwards 50 metres up the field. 

The home forwards, although the smaller, had the better of the set scrums and again just into the second half worked the catch and drive from the attacking line-out to their advantage.

Again, Raine secured the ball at the front of the line and, again, they shunted their bigger opponents over their own line for Will Morgan to come up with the score.

Penrith were now a score in front and went two scores ahead thanks to the opportunism of centre Jay Rossi. The ball was put down on halfway by the visitor’s backs and Rossi hacked the ball on and then, carefully, dribbled the ball over the line before falling on it. Wooff’s second conversion went over.

They kept Waterloo pinned in their own 22 for long periods in the final quarter but they did break out for one final assault on the home line.

They looked to have scored at one point but the ball had been knocked, although they did finally claim a third try as the game came to a close.