IT WAS a case of déjà vu for Penzance as they retained the Walter C Parson Cup by edging Callington in an absorbing final at Wadebridge’s Bodieve Park on Bank Holiday Monday.

A year after first lifting the trophy by beating Cullompton Rangers 6-5 on penalties after a goalless draw at Launceston, the Magpies needed spot-kicks again to secure victory in front of a bank holiday crowd of 577.

A winner could not be found in 120 minutes of football after Charlie Willis’s fourth minute free-kick for Penzance was cancelled out by a superb George Soper volley just after the hour.

So penalties it had to be – and the drama started immediately as Cally keeper Jake Mead-Crebbin stepped up to take his side’s first spot-kick but saw his opposite number Will Trenoweth save it.

Jacob Trudgeon’s shot went in off the bar to put Penzance ahead and the next three penalties for each side were scored, although not without controversy as Magpies skipper Tyler Tonkin’s initial shot was saved by Mead-Crebbin before the keeper was adjudged to have moved off his line.

Tonkin’s second attempt was fired home and it was 4-3 to the Magpies after four penalties each. Fin Skews needed to score to keep Callington’s hopes alive but his effort was saved by Trenoweth to spark the Penzance celebrations.

Victory might have been more straightforward for Mark Vercesi’s men had Mead-Crebbin been sent off in the third minute after he raced to the edge of his area to bring down Josh Turner.

He had clearly denied Turner a goal-scoring opportunity – but the referee deemed the offence worth only a yellow card.

Callington did have another keeper – Karl Peters – on the bench, but had a red card been issued then they would have had to play with 10 men for 87 minutes.

If a yellow didn’t seem to fit the crime, Cally were punished anyway when, from the resulting free-kick from 20 yards, Willis curled in a beauty to give Mead-Crebbin no chance.

The dramatic start clearly rocked Callington in their first cup final since the league was founded in 2007, and it took them until the 26th minute to create their first chance when a Kieran Prescott header was hacked away inside the six yard box.

Fin Harrison, the Premier West’s joint Golden Boot winner, then saw a 20-yard shot well saved by Trenoweth, before Penzance started to dominate and two fine saves by Mead-Crebbin denied Lewis Caspall twice in three minutes.

Callington responded with Soper’s long clearance finding Prescott, but his attempted lob over Trenoweth was deflected off a defender for a corner.

On the stroke of half-time Young thought he had doubled Penzance’s lead with a superb shot from 20 yards, but Mead-Crebbin brilliantly threw himself to his right to turn the ball around the post.

If Penzance had edged the first half, Cally were the better side in the opening 20 minutes after the break and equalised when a right wing cross was only cleared to the edge of the penalty area where Soper sent a stunning right foot volley into the net.

The remainder of the half saw the teams cancel each other out with well-organised defences and it was then down to extra-time to try to find a winner.

Vercesi almost gifted Cally a goal in the 101st minute when an intended cushioned back header to Trenoweth went wide of the keeper and struck the post before bouncing out for a corner.

The Penzance player-manager then hit the woodwork at the right end five minutes from the end of extra-time, meeting a free-kick with a looping header over Mead-Crebbin but watched as it hit the top of the bar and went out.

That was as close as the final came to a winner which would have prevented the need for a shootout.

CALLINGTON TOWN: Jake Mead-Crebbin; George Soper, Harvey Barrett (Taran Goodright, 58), Harry Southcott (capt) (Karl Peters, 115), Kieran Ryall; Callum Brown, Calum Courts; Alex Jacob (Shay McCarthy, 72), Kieran Prescott, Fin Skews; Fin Harrison. Subs not used: Ed Harrison, Connor Pritchard.

PENZANCE: Will Trenoweth; Ewan Trevains, Mark Vercesi, Tyler Tonkin (capt), Ben Palmer; Andreas Calleja-Stayne, Charlie Willis (Ollie Butler, 84), Lewis Caspall (James Butler, 80); Josh Turner (Jacob Trudgeon, 90+1), Charlie Young (George Molcher, 105), Silas Sullivan. Sub not used: Wade Brown.

Men-of-the-match: Callington Town – George Soper; Penzance – Ewan Trevains.