Penrith knew no less than five points would do from a tricky fixture at home to Bradford and Bingley.

They needed a good win to maintain their hopes of second spot and a play-off place at the end of the season in North One East.

As it happened, their afternoon couldn’t have gone much better as they eventually ran out easy 66-17 winners, while their rivals Alnwick and West Hartlepool both surprisingly lost.

It leaves Penrith with their fate in their own hands – avoid defeat at Percy Park in a fortnight and a play-off place is in the bag.

The game couldn’t have started any better for them as Liam Tunstall dived over and Penrith had scored from the first play of the game.

The Yorkshire visitors showed it wasn’t only the Cumbrians who could handle and run, and worked a try of their own to level the scores.

They scored a second try five minutes later, winning a line-out and driving for the Penrith line.

Bradford and Bingley’s big forwards made no mistake and won the arm wrestle to cross and crossed to lead.

The game swung back to the home side as they exerted a deal of pressure and the visitors gave away a string of penalties. The referee eventually tired of their indiscretions and showed the yellow card.

Penrith got on even terms from one of these penalties when George Graham saw the chance and took a quick one, made ground against a retreating defence and Ed Swale was held but sent Matt Allinson crashing over.

Then there was a melee on the touchline, nothing too serious with the odd blow exchanged.

The referee approached and blew his whistle and the sides parted but a Bradford player then stepped back in and poleaxed the Penrith touch judge.

The referee had no choice once the injuries were dealt with but to show the red card and the visitors were a man short after half an hour.

They were actually down to 13 as they also had a man off with a yellow card. Penrith kicked the penalty to touch on the 22 and scored the try of the game.

Quick line-out ball was moved into midfield where Allinson found Swale, in the line from full-back.

He in turn released Ben Littleton, who made the extra man off the blind-side wing and Littlejohn put Jon Fell away on the outside for a simple run in.

Penrith then got their fourth and bonus point try from a scrum on the 22. No.8 Dan Richardson battled through a couple of tackles before finding Graham who did the hard work to set-up Swale for the try.

Penrith looked to be flying but they were pegged back with a penalty with the last kick of the half to lead 26-17 at the break.

Penrith let a couple of chances go begging in the second half but, once they scored 17 minutes in, the floodgates opened.

Allinson was the catalyst for the first of the six second-half tries as he barged through a number of before Ryan Johnson romped over.

Swale engineered the next score running back a clearance kick, and Jon Fell sent young replacement Olly Gutteridge round under the posts.

Allinson claimed the next try after good interplay by Graham and Mike Fearon before Fell claimed his second and then hat-trick try to complete the tally.

In North One West, St Benedict’s lost 27-3 at Blackburn but are now mathematically clear of any relegation problems.

They have three home games still to fit in against two of the sides below them – Altrincham Kersal and Leigh – as well as Rochdale who are only a point above them.

Saints also have the Cumbria Cup final to look forward to, as the holders face Carlisle in a bid to complete a hat-trick of triumphs in the competition.