NORTHUMBERLAND SENIOR CUP FINAL
PERCY PARK 25 – 11 MORPETH
Percy Park were looking to make it 3 senior cup wins in a row as both sides took to the field for the 120th Northumberland Senior Cup Final. With both sides primed and ready, their match preparations done, the team of 3 officials poised for the off, the sizable crowd expectant for the 7pm kick off, then everyone realised there was no match ball! There then followed 10 minutes of farce as everyone looked around before eventually the 4th official was despatched back to the changing rooms to bring a bag of balls and the game could begin.
Park had made a couple of changes with Phil Morse coming in for the cup tied James Bird, and Liam Blackburn for the unavailable Howard Stock.
Percy Park kicked off and immediately put their opponents under pressure, spending much of the first 5 minutes inside the Morpeth half, before Phil Morse broke down the left and took several defenders with him before setting up a ruck from which the ball was spun right with Michael Stephenson coming into the line at pace to score an unconverted try in the corner.
From the kick off, Park didn’t secure the ball adequately and Morpeth retrieved the ball before being awarded a penalty which James Phillips slotted on 8 minutes to make the score 8 – 3.
15 minutes into the game Park scored their second try through Ali Blair, again wide on the right after quick ball found the pacey winger in space, but again the conversion was off target. Morpeth then cut the deficit with another Phillips penalty to keep the Northumbrians in touch. At this point referee Wayne Falla issued a team warning to Park for repeated infringements, but it was Morpeth who suffered the first yellow card as their hooker was sent to the bin for collapsing a maul on the half hour mark.
With the numerical superiority, Park again using wide ball scored this time on the left flank with a long miss pass from Ash Smith finding Liam Blackburn to race in for the try and a 15 – 6 lead. With minutes remaining in the half Adam Morton for Percy Park was then sent to the bin for verbals towards the referee. Phillips was off target with the penalty kick and the half ended.
Percy Park started brightly in the second period and with only 4 minutes of the half played, Ash Smith put in a cross kick to the right wing, with Ali Blair unmarked. It looked as though he had overcooked it, but the ball stood up and Blair raced in and touched down just before the ball went dead, and the referees assistant was on the spot to award the try. Ash Smith hit the post with the conversion attempt.
Morpeth were then reduced to 14 players as their inside centre was binned for what from the touch line appeared to be foul play as the touch judge intervened, it was the 14 a side as Park scrum half Jimmy Baldwin was binned for what was judged to be a tip tackle.
Although Morpeth were 20 – 6 down, they certainly did not give up and when awarded a penalty 5 metres from the Park line, tapped and set up a maul which was driven over the line, with Andrew Duggan claiming the try. The conversion would have meant Morpeth were within a converted try of drawing level, but the ball was wide of the intended target with 10 minutes of the game remaining.
Ash Smith although a key play maker, making several telling breaks, had obviously not packed his kicking boots and a penalty attempt went wide.
Percy Park mounted another attack and this time replacement Jonny Dubois went on a surging run being stopped short of the line. Ali Blair was on hand to pick up and go over for this hat-trick and Park’s 5th try of the evening. Phil Morse took over kicking duties, but found no more success as his attempt shaved the right hand post.
The final whistle sounded and Park had retained the cup, as the anoraks looked up the records to see if Park had ever held the cup on three consecutive occasions in it’s history.