Percy Park Marauders 57 – 14 Blyth III
Marauders Captain
Paul Hardcastle
It is sometimes strange how fate puts the top two teams in a league, against each other to decide who will be champions in the last game of the season. But that is how it panned out with Park Marauders top of Northumberland league 3c with only one defeat all season, and Blyth III lying second having lost only once and drawn once. The game had been rearranged due to bad weather and cup commitments and was a double header, winners take all.
The Marauders got off to the best possible start when scrum half Mark Kerr went over after only one minute of play, after the ball was recycled well, and Rick Morgan kicked the conversion. Minutes later Morgan kicked a penalty to give Park a 10 – 0 lead.
Blyth opted to rumble the ball when in possession, whereas Park’s fleet footed backs ran the ball wide when ever they could. The visitors tried running the ball out of defence on eleven minutes, when a fumble from ex-Park player Kev Rhodes, coughed up the ball to Park centre David Mellstrom who ran in to score Park's second try of the game, again converted by Morgan.
Blyth hit back after 20 minutes of play with flanker Billy Routledge crashing over in the right hand corner after a series of scrums near the Park line. Park struck back immediately with a superb display of running rugby with the ball spun through several pairs of hands started inside the Percy Park half, with Rob Adams finishing off the score. Morgan’s conversion took the score to 24 -7, and Park were now scoring at a rate of a point per minute.
James McFarlane scored Park’s next try with a powerful run through the Blyth defence, but this time Morgan was off target with the extras. As soon as Park ran the ball wide, Blyth had no answer, and wing Dan Lewis, scored on the right outpacing his counterpart to go over for the try. With the Morgan conversion Park had an unassailable lead 36 -7, and it wasn’t yet half time.
On the stroke of half time, skipper Paul Hardcastle made one of several telling runs, taking the ball out of defence right up to the Blyth line before offloading to Gould in support to score under the posts. The conversion made the half time score 43 – 7, at which point there was a discussion between both captains and the referee. Blyth had brought a large contingent of player with 9 subs in all, and seeing the game was lost conceded the league points to allow them to play all of their squad.
With the game in the bag, Park switched off in the second half, and their expansive game plan, reverted to running the ball back inside, which allowed the visitors to snuff out several promising attacks. In the second period Park scored only twice through Gould, and a fine surging run from lock Scott Ellwood.
Blyth scored a consolation try at the end, but Park ran out deserved winners, and ended their season finishing off a fine Cup and League double. Hats off to Paul Hardcastle the Marauders captain. Paul has transformed the side this season, encouraging many former Park players back to the club. There aren’t many forth teams as young as the Marauders, and their style of play has been a joy to watch.
