The Winters Park faithful went home happy on Saturday after watching Penrith Rugby Club's best performance of the season by some distance.

High-flying Birkenhead Park had arrived second in North One West with only one loss to their name but had no answer for the majority of the game against a bullish Penrith side who won 17-5.

It was a confident Birkenhead side that started the better of the two and they bossed the early possession and looked the more dangerous.

They scored in the fifth minute when strong running saw a break down their right flank, deep into the home 22. Once in behind the majority of the home defenders, they took advantage of position and worked an overlap in the corner to force the unconverted score.

This early score did not dent the home side’s belief as they then had a decent spell themselves and drew level.

From a scrum on the visitor’s 22, George Graham fed the ball direct to inside centre Matt Allinson who set off on the charge. His opposite number looked to set himself for the tackle but inexplicably lost his feet, fell over, and left Allinson with a gap a mile wide which he hit and went under the posts without a hand being laid on him. His simple conversion gave his side a two-point lead.

Although the Penrith eight struggled a little for the first time this season in the set scrum, they did win one against the head on the Wirral side’s 22. Mike Stephens was away like a shot with Graham in support but they couldn’t quite make the line.

Going through the phases, Penrith got in a good position after good running by Liam Tunstall and Dan Greenwood. Opposition hands in the ruck were spotted by the referee and Allinson opted to go for the penalty from some 30 metres out. He was successful and Penrith went in at the break with a 10-5 lead.

Penrith dominated the second half and never looked like conceding, although Birkenhead had their share of possession. The dogged home defence always looked to have the situation under control. Penrith were only one score ahead but they eased the nerves as the game went into the final quarter.

A mazy run by Jamie McNaughton got them field position in the opposition 22. Stephens won the line-out ball and Ross Jackson fed the ball back inside to McNaughton, coming in off the blindside wing.

He made a bit of ground in traffic before the ball was quickly recycled and whipped rapidly wide to the left where Jay Rossi got round the outside of his man. He then engineered the space for Brad Taylor to go in at the corner and Allinson hit a well-judged conversion.

There was a scare in the final minutes when the visitors got behind the Penrith defence but the ball was knocked-on and, after the restart scrum, Graham was able to bang the ball into touch to complete a thoroughly satisfying afternoon for an improving home side.