BEVERLEY 24 PENRITH 26

This was a real thriller with the result in doubt until the very end. Fixtures between these two sides invariably produce fast enjoyable encounters and this was no exception. Their two games this season have yielded a total of 88 points with only a margin of two points difference between the sides. Today it was once again a nail-biting affair in which Penrith snatched victory with a penalty at the death just as Beverley had edged ahead for the first time in the match.

Despite the heavy conditions both sides started at a cracking pace. After making a mess of the kick-off Beverley looked certain to take the lead when Richard Bussey streaked away to the line only to be brought back for a forward pass. They were then struck a double blow after a quarter of an hour when Steve Wood kicked a penalty to give Penrith the lead and fly half Phil Duboulay departed with a shoulder injury. For twenty minutes Beverley’s game fell apart. They freely gave away possession in the backs and up front they struggled to cope with the powerful Penrith pack led by the outstanding Mike Rance at number eight.

None the less Beverley struck back to take the lead with a fine try by Goran Jelencic following a lineout on the left and a darting run from Bussey who put Jelencic in at the opposite corner. But at this stage Penrith still looked to have the upper hand. Beverley looked dangerous when they ran the ball but there was too much wayward kicking and too many passes were ending up on the ground. The Penrith pack was proving a real handful whenever they drove forward and sustained pressure up front brought two tries for centre Mike Hawley. Five minutes before halftime yet another drive to the line led to a third try, touched down by prop Glen Carr, and Beverley looked to be facing an uphill struggle when they turned round 18-5 down.

Had Penrith not missed the three conversions it would probably have been all over for Beverley at halftime. As it was, when Jade Gardiner went over early in the second half for a try converted by Mike Kilgannon Beverley were suddenly within a converted try of taking the lead. Immediately they were a different side and they began to play like a team inspired in an effort to get it. They attacked with ball in hand and looked much better for it. A tremendous fifty metre run down the middle by David Worrall would have produced a score had support been on hand. But Penrith themselves came back with a fourth try by winger Tom Armstrong and the lead was once more stretched to 11 points at 23-12.

For Beverley it was all to do again but they were quickly back to within one converted try of taking the lead when Worrall broke blind from a scrum near the Penrith line and put Jelencic in for his second try. Play swung excitingly from end to end and it was Beverley who got the crucial breakthrough when Gardiner burst through the middle for Worrall to touch down under the posts. 24-23 ahead with Kilgannon’s conversion Beverley merely needed to see out time but numerous stoppages for injuries meant there was an eternity of added time to play. With almost the last action of the match Beverley were penalised for diving over the top in a ruck after they had tried to run the ball from their own scrum instead of kicking it safe. Sadly for them the out of touch Wood this time did not fail and the ball sailed between the posts from thirty five metres to snatch victory for Penrith. Penrith just about deserved to win by virtue of their first half superiority but it was a mighty close run thing and a wonderful afternoon’s rugby.