NORTHUMBERLAND SENIOR SHIELD
PERCY PARK 32 – 17 ALNWICK
Percy Park Lions lifted the No2 County Cup at North Shields with a 32 – 17 win over Alnwick II, having come back from a 5 – 12 deficit at half time. The Lions made the final for the sixth season in succession and were favourites being the current cup holders and by virtue of having beaten Alnwick convincingly the previous week 70 – 15 in the first leg of the Candy Plate at Preston Avenue.
Park kicked off into the teeth of a gale that was blowing down the pitch and the ball ballooned back over their heads. Alnwick were alert to the confusion this caused and retrieved the bouncing ball to score with only seconds on the clock. The conversion was kicked as Northumbrians took the lead 7 – 0.
With such a strong wind against them in the 1st half Park quite rightly kept the ball in hand and as in the final last year which was also against Alnwick, Michael Groves opened Park’s account showing his pace to finish off a move which saw a long miss pass from Phil Morse finding the full back in space. Todd Harrison was close with the conversion attempt that hit the left post and bounced out.
On 24 minutes the Alnwick scrum half scored a fine individual try, running half the length of the pitch and eventually scored in the left hand corner. The Park supporters thought that the Alnwick player had been bundled into touch as the assistant referee put up his flag, which he quickly put down remembering that on the day he was the touch judge and didn’t need to put up his arm to award the try.
Park turned around with the wind advantage in the second half, but it was Alnwick who stretched their lead as their burly left wing brushed past a number of wouldbe Park tacklers to score in the left hand corner for a 17 – 5 lead.
Director of Rugby Thomas Turnbull made a couple of changes to the Park line up which saw back rower Ethan Wilson come into the three-quarters, and it was he who broke through the Alnwick defence to score a try converted by fly half Todd Harrison.
Percy Park then levelled the scores when Jonny Kidd got the touch down from a catch and drive and Todd Harrison put Park in front for the first time with the conversion.
In last season’s final which Park won 33 – 8, Ethan Wilson scored the final try of the game, and he repeated the feat scoring his second try of the game minutes later with an unconverted try.
Park then found themselves down to 14 men as Brett Sylph was shown a red card for alleged foul play on the instruction of the touch judge and were soon down to 13 as Josh Lake was sin binned for not retiring the 10 metres following a quickly taken penalty. Alnwick threw everything at Park whose defence remained firm and the blue and gold’s were unable to add to their tally.
Percy Park kept the scoreboard ticking over with a penalty then a well taken drop goal by Todd Harrison, and ended the day retaining the trophy with the final score 32 – 17.