The unprecedented rainfall in Cumbria in the previous week meant the game was switched from Warwick Road to Preston Avenue as Carlisle’s pitches were waterlogged. The visitors didn’t have the best of preparations either with their late rearranged coach not turning up, so they had to travel to North Shields by car. This didn’t show in their performance however as the started with a bang, and had much of the early possession.
Percy Park had the first opportunity to score when a clearance kick was charged down but the home side didn’t capitalise and Carlisle ran the ball out of defence and but for a last ditch tackle by Marcus Turner, would have scored inside 5 minutes. Referee Tony Parlett was hot on the “holding on” law and Carlisle were penalised on the Park line, giving the Preston Avenue side the chance to clear their lines and relieve the pressure. Carlisle did score after 6 minutes through Tom Graham after several phases of play in the PercyPark half. Good ball retention allowed fly half Glen Weightman to give an inside pass to Graham on the charge, and the burly hooker powered over for the try which was unconverted.
Anthony Dunn was making his presence felt and cleared up a couple of overthrown Carlisle line out balls, and was often first to the break down forcing the tackled player to hold on, and on 8 minutes Park were awarded a penalty for this very reason, which Marcus Rutter converted. Rutter then kicked a second penalty, to take a slender lead minutes later. Carlisle’s scrum was solid for the first few, but mid way into the half Park were gaining an edge and managed to disrupt the Cumbrian side’s set piece. Carlisle were awarded a penalty on the 20 minute mark but Weightman missed. The Carlisle fly half did make up for it with a jinking try on 34 minutes dummying and stepping through the smallest of gaps in the Park defence to score a try which he converted. Carlisle now regained the lead 6 -12, but in injury time Rutter narrowed the gap with another penalty.
In the second half Marcus Rutter had the chance to level the scores after only 2 minutes, after Carlisle were again penalised for holding on in the tackle, the kick however went left of the post.
Thomas Turnbull
PercyPark started the second half much the same as Carlisle started the first, and from a quick ball off the top of a line out, David Griffiths crashed the ball up in midfield taking several tacklers to stop him. The quickly recycled ball was fed to Thomas Turnbull, who scampered his way through the defence to score under the posts, with Rutter kicking the conversion. After 50 minutes Carlisle were again penalised for holding on and Rutter extended the Park lead to 19 – 12. The visitors had the chance to cut the point’s deficit with a penalty inside the Park half, but the attempt went wide of the mark.
Carlisle seemed to have lost some of their spark, and confidence and with 20 minutes remaining in the game Park brought on two replacements, Craig Firth and Greg Dixon for Phil Morse and Ian Elliot. The visitors declined two kickable penalties, the first opting for a kick to the corner. From the resulting line out the PercyPark forwards drove the Carlisle maul back some ten metres. On the second occasion there seemed some confusion and indecision in the Carlisle ranks when they even declined a kick to the corner, instead taking a not so quick tap and running into a solid wall of defenders. Rutter missed a penalty after a Carlisle flanker was penalised for not fully binding on the scum, and when the home side was awarded a further penalty soon after just outside Rutter’s rang they kicked to touch with a line out ten metres from the Carlisle line. The catch and drive was perfectly executed and the powerful maul raced to the Carlisle line with Brett Sylph getting the touch down on 69 minutes. Rutter unfortunately hit the post and the ball bounced out from the conversion. Just before the end Marcus Rutter had the chance of another penalty which just missed, but the final score was 24 – 12, with PercyPark moving up the table one place to sixth.
Next week, the 1st XV are at home to Darlington in the league, and the Club President Albi Duhrin and Management Committee invite all club volunteers to a pre-match buffet, meet 12.45 pm.
