CONSETT 23 – 47 PERCY PARK
The two sides met for the second time in four days, and at home Consett proved a sterner test for Percy Park. The home side had several players back in the side that were not available for the midweek fixture, and Park made one or two changes due to unavailability.
Consett had the wind and slope advantage in the first half and had much of the early territory, pinning Park back in their own half. A drop goal attempt went wide, as did a penalty, but the home team scored a try on 14 minutes through John Rowbottom and the conversion was successful.
When Sam Walton powered over the line it looked like Park had scored, but the referee was on the wrong side of the ruck and didn’t allow the try. Park did strike back minutes later with a typical scrum half, sniping try from John Scott, but Rutter couldn’t equalise the scores with the conversion attempt, which was to be the only one he missed all day.
Consett went further ahead with a supposed drop goal which was bizarrely awarded despite the ball clearly being punted rather than drop kicked, to the amusement and bemusement of both sides including the Consett fly half who shrugged and walked sheepishly to the half way mark to receive the restart.
John Scott the Percy Park scrum half scored a repeat of his first try when Greg Dixon picked up from the base of a scrum and passed to Scott who darted through a gap and stretched out for the line, and Rutter’s conversion gave Park the lead 10 – 12 shortly before half time.
Consett hit back with a try wide out on the right wing, and although the conversion was missed, the home side led 15 – 12 at the break.
Percy Park kicked off the second half with a try from Sam Walton inside a minute. The Park prop crashed over the Consett line after the ball was recycled following a strong run from Phil Morse who had broken through several tackles in midfield. With the conversion, the Park lead was restored.
Consett edged back to within a point with a penalty on 56 minutes, but Liam Blackburn stretched Park’s lead with a great try, bursting through several tacklers, leaving a trail of Consett players behind in his wake. 
Moments later the Park left wing repeated the feat to score again, Rutter converting from under the posts for the 33 – 18 lead.
Blackburn was becoming the scourge of Consett, and scored his third try of the afternoon in similar bullocking fashion to the first two, and Park now looked assured of a sizeable win when 40 points were shown on the scoreboard.
Surprisingly it took until the 76th minute of the game for Park to be awarded their first penalty, and with quick thinking Greg Dixon took a quick tap and went over for the score. Percy Park had lost both centres to injury, and a reshuffled meant young Joe Wafer was posted on the wing. When Consett won the ball from a ruck inside the Park half, the ball was spun wide to the right with the left wing coming into the line and out pacing the Park defence to score the last points of the game.
The game ended Consett 23 – 47 Percy Park, and Park must now brace themselves for another gruelling week with the visit of Ryton to Preston Avenue on Wednesday, the Stockton at home on Saturday.