Since the formation of the
Northern Union in 1895 over 720 players have scored 12,000 tries between them
for Warrington,
but which was the greatest.The older
generation of Warrington fans have long thought
that Brian Bevan’s try against Wigan at Central Park
in the Wardonia Cup on Saturday 14 August 1948 was the best ever.However on Saturday 10 May 2008 at Knowlsey Road,
Kevin Penny scored an equally spectacular try against St Helens in the fourth
round of the Carnegie Challenge Cup, that sent today’s Warrington fans into raptures.
Brian Bevan was the master of
the spectacular, after all he did score 796 tries.Journalists ran out of adjectives decribing
Bevan’s second half try that late summer afternoon, as he dashed from one try
line to another to score.Warrington won a scrum
five yards from their own line, the ball was quickly moved to the right from
Helme to Palin and then on to Pimblett who fed Bevan.Bevan was away, not along his wing but on a
diagonal run towards the centre. On his
own “25” Bev beat Ryan, Mountford and Ashcroft, who all thought they had him
covered, with a swerve.Another swerve
and raid acceleration put Bevan clear.The Wigan defence chased but Bevan’s
diagonal 125 yard run saw him outpace them to score on the left between the
corner flag and goalposts.
Jack Steel descirbed it as “the
try of the century” and produced a diagram in the Warrington Guardian.
Sixty years later in a
breathtaking Carnegie Challenge Cup tie, St Helens
were leading 22-18 with 24 minutes left.Sean Long chipped to the Warrington
posts, Michael Monaghan under pressure behind his own line, from the St Helens attackers, “popped” the ball to Chris
Hicks.Hicks cleared his line and as he
was tackled on the “20” passed to Kevin Penny.Kev then race along his wing before stepping inside the covering Sean
Long.Penny then hugged his touchline
and was able to out pace the St Helens cover
to dive over in the corner.Hicks
converted from the touchline to restore the Warrington lead and send the travelling fans into
ecstasy.Unfortunately their joy was not
to last as St Helens eventually clinched the
thrilling cup tie 40-34.
The journalists of today have
called Kev’s effort one of the greatest ever tries.
But which was the best, Kev’s
was on BBC for all to see and can be replayed, Bev’s was not recorded and so we
have to rely on the few remaining eyewitnesses from the 31,190 who were at Central Park.What
is certain is that tries like these make rugby league the greatest game to
watch.
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