Sorry for the delay in posting the match report, but I was hoping to plaguerise (is that the right spelling), the report from the Hartlepool Mail who were covering the game, but the report was not forth coming, so this is from memory, which isn't all it should be in my advancing years.
Park scored early on with when Brett Sylph made a break into the Horden half, passed to Liam Casey who went through a gap in the defence, and unselfishly (although he did think about the side step) passed to Phil Morse to go over in the corner. Phil converted and soon after kicked a penalty, and there was much rassin' and frassin behind the Horden goal line.
Put a stick in an wasp's nest, and you know what happens, and duly stung into action out came Horden all guns blazin' and scored a copy book up the jumper Welfare Park try, although the normally deadly accurate Andrew Turner must have been on the beer the night before and missed the conversion.
Horden went into the lead with an opportunist try by winger Cox, (or so the Horden web site will have it, although I thought it was their 7.) Anyway, several missed tackles and he took his try well to score under the posts and Turner made sure of the extras.
Morse kicked a Park penalty to take the lead for a brief moment, before Andrew Turner scored an unconverted try to snatch it back.
Phil Morse increased his personal tally to 16 points will a further penalty, although was then surprisingly substituted. Park had a kickable penalty which was declined in favour of a kick to the corner which ended up fruitless.
Horden then extended their lead with the best try of the game (this was definately scored by Cox), when the ball was spun through the backs after a cut out pass, and Cox finished off in the corner.
In the closing minutes needing a converted try to win the game, Park pressurised the Horden defence who gave up several penalties and eventually on the stroke of full time the ref lost patience and sent their hooker to the sin bin.
It was a close game which, in fairness Horden deserved to win, as they scored 4 tries to 1, so best of luck to them in the next round where they have a home tie against Alnwick.
Is it always that cold in Horden? The pea and ham soup afterwards certainly helped thaw the frost bite, and after the mince and dumplings, there was no room for the beer which at those prices was a bit of a shame.