A penalty try five minutes from time earned North One West leaders Carlisle Rugby Club a 25-22 derby day victory at Penrith.

It sent Carlisle into the Christmas break with a healthy 13-point lead at the top of the table, and a tag as hot favourites for promotion over the second half of the season.

A gale from the south, blowing in rain at close to freezing temperatures, made for difficult and unpleasant playing conditions.

It was played under the coldest conditions which most could remember with the rain blowing sideways down the pitch and turning to ice on the pitchside barriers.

Yet despite the conditions, it proved to be a remarkably good game with no little amount of skill shown by both sides.

Carlisle had first use of the elements and started the match at breakneck speed, and they were soon rewarded for their efforts.

With just three minutes on the clock, a penalty at the breakdown gave fly-half Grant Connon the opportunity to smash a 35-yard penalty well over the posts and give Carlisle the opening points.

Six minutes later, another penalty was put five metres from the Penrith line for a Carlisle line-out. Setting up the maul, the ball was eventually worked across the park, and after some punishing carries by Josh Holmes, player-coach Matt Shields got on the end of the last carry to score the first try which Connon converted for a 10-0 lead.

Penrith slowly got into the game, prompted by Mike Raine and George Graham who were both excellent, and made progress into the wind.

It wasn’t pretty but conditions dictated they had to play direct rugby and this is what they did, continually driving the ball in from close range.

Penrith kicked a penalty to the corner and looked to set-up the driving maul from the line-out but the ball ran loose.

However, they were able to gather it and mount an assault on the line in the corner, where Adam Howe found the gap from close range and forced his way over the line.

The home side were in the ascendancy and got back on level terms after being awarded a penalty in the visitors’ 22.

Graham took a quick tap and go, and nearly, got to the line. Ross Jackson almost got there with a half break but Carlisle ran out of tacklers and Ian McDowell squeezed over.

Carlisle quickly responded from the restart and a determined Chris Auld made deep inroads into the Penrith half, setting up field position for the forwards to do their stuff.

It was no surprise then when captain Henry Wainwright crashed over for Carlisle’s second try to re-take the lead on 32 minutes.

But Penrith came back to level the scores again.

From a scrum in the 22, Raine broke and Graham shifted the ball to Josh Dowson on the wing who went close in the right-hand corner.

The ball then came left as the home side battered the line and their simple plan paid off when James Hogg crashed over in the left-hand corner.

It looked as if the two sides were going to go in at the break at 15 apiece which would have been an achievement for the home side playing into a gale.

In stoppage-time, though, Carlisle were awarded a penalty between the 10-metre mark and halfway line from where Connon booted the visitors back in front.

In the second half Penrith had the elements in their favour and, after 10 minutes, they got their noses in front.

Again Raine was prominent, making the break into the 22 and almost getting to the line, when he was brought to ground.

The support duly arrived and looked to drive over from close range with Howe claiming his second try. Nathan Wooff landed the conversion for a 22-18 lead.

As the clock ticked down, the visitors strived harder and harder to get something out of the game and Penrith were defending for all they were worth.

They had won two turnovers on their own line to lift the siege but they were under pressure as the game went into the last five minutes.

They were down to 14 men following a yellow card for Dowson and had lost the influential Graham to injury.

On these moments games turn, and a Penrith scrum on their 22 disintegrated, with the ball scooting backwards and out of play to give Carlisle a five-metre scrum.

The visitors exploited the advantage to the maximum and, with the Penrith pack crumbling, the referee awarded a penalty try to hand Carlisle the lead.

All that was left for the visitors to do was to field the restart, keep possession, and grind out the last few minutes, which they managed to do, denying Penrith any opportunity to have one last go.