Durham and Northumberland 1
Stockton RFC 20 v Percy Park RFC 65
Seven from Seven and Seven the difference
The number seven is the number of perfection and completeness. The foundation of the earth. It also symbolises authority over all creatures of the earth. That maybe a stretch this early in the season but what cannot be denied is that Percy Park have made a statement of intent and, to date, all comers have been dispatched. If I listen to the Presidential chatter you would believe that all things ‘Black and White’ have replaced the seven wonders of world and that the Colossus of Rhodes has been renamed as the Colossus of Hedley. Not only that but the chatter also has Player coach Ash Smith being named as the seventh son endowed with magical powers. As the faithful bask, credit goes to all our players who are reaping the reward of hours of hard work on the training ground and that effort was there to be seen as the team put in their best performance of the season to ruthlessly dispatch one of their rivals for the League crown.
Stockton started strongly and kept the ball as they played into a strong wind. Park had the advantage as a zephyr blew across the pitch. On 4 minutes Ash Smith settled nerves as he coolly slotted a penalty and from there Percy Park were in the driving seat and never let go of the wheel.
On 18 minutes the Colossus of Shields delivered a huge hit that many described as Thor’s hammer to turn over the ball. Park went wide with Captain Seb Reece scoring the first of (another) four in the left corner. A difficult kick missed. 8 nil to the visitors.
Resolute defence kept Stockton at bay forcing Fly half Stephen Jones to resort to the drop goal in an attempt to get his side on the board and gain some momentum. The response was immediate with Adam Hay diving to touch down. Ash Smith converting.3-15.
The game remained tight. A dominant scrum from Percy Park won a penalty in our own half .Tom Robinson decided to take a quick tap and passed to Ash Smith. Lack of communication found Smith being caught unawares dropping the ball and in the drop Park conceded a penalty for a ‘man in front’ playing the ball. Stockton kicked to corner and from a line out their 10 Stephen Jones scored a try close to the posts. 10-15 on 35 minutes.
It took Percy Park 3 minutes to answer. Pace and the offload destroyed a Stockton defence with Leo Caulfield being the man of that moment to score. Ash Smith converted. !0 points to 22 at half time.
The second half exploded into a maelstrom of points. From the kick off Seb Reece was the recipient of a barnstorming run by centre Thomas Moore. It was head down stuff as Moore headed to the try line. A brave tackle ceased the trajectory of the bouncing bomb short of the line. Even stopped the player still had the wit to offload to his captain for the score.
Next up was Sam Digman who was enjoying a lively and eye catching game in the front row. The pressure on Stockton was extreme. The hit and offload was destructive. The set piece was dominant. Stockton couldn’t get their hands on the ball. As they struggled frustration kicked in and their lack of focus resulted in a lack of energy. First up was Tom Robinson closely followed by Thomas Moore. As supporters we have always wanted to see a ruthless side to our teams play. We saw it here! 10-44
A defensive error resulted in a Tom Lloyd try for Stockton. A cross-field kick from Stephen Jones caught Ross Young on the hop. Catching the kick Lloyd sidestepped the cover defence to score. Stephen Jones tried a drop kick conversion to speed the game up and missed. Not sure why he did that maybe he was hoping to galvanise his side and use the score to drive onwards. What ever the thought Percy Park had another one. On 67 mins Ash Smith converted another try by Seb Reece. On 75 mins the impressive Paul Spowart converted an interception try by Tom Robertson. 15-58.
Percy Parks final try came from the hands of Seb Reece. His 4th try two weeks in a row. His achievement the result of superb support play. A consolation try at the death for Stockton could not dampen a master class of pace, power and skill from an embryonic side that is getting better and better as the season progresses. Lets hope that we continue upward. Its heady stuff. 20 point’s to 65 the final score.
Representing Percy Park RFC:
From 15: Paul Spowart, Howard Stock, Seb Reece, Thomas Moore, Ross Alexander Young, Ash Smith, and Tom Robinson.
From 8: Michael Langlands, Leo Caulfield, Andrew Dunn, Mark Barry, Josh Hedley, Marc Cook, Adam Hay and Sam Digman.
Finishers: Andrew Steinberg, Josh Lake and Andrew Walker.