PERCY PARK 5 HARTLEPOOL ROVERS 22
If pride and passion alone determined an outcome, then Park would have won this encounter with Rovers. It doesnt and Park remain in the relegation basement and the visitors entrenched in their mid table position.
Once again Percy Park started brightly having made several changes to last weeks side which lost to Driffield. Mal Donald returned at hooker with Scotty Graham moving to the bench. Richard Ponton returned at openside, and Tom Heenan occupied the blind side flanker position with Andy Dunn and Michael Langlands moving back to the Lions. Chris Bell also returned to the side for Luke Casey who has moved on to pastures new with our best wishes.
Rovers took the lead after 15 minutes with a good try by Gareth Foreman who ghosted through the Park defence after the visitors won good line out ball in the Park 22. Despite some confusion with the touch judging, the referee adjudged the conversion had not been made and the score remained 5 0.
The visitors stretched their lead with a try from Simon Rutherford which this time Foreman did convert from a more acute angle.
Parks Dan Duhrin had decided to make this game his last, due to recurring knee injury, and played in the centre to help the cause due to injury and non availability of other players. Having been made honorary captain for the day the cruellest of luck saw him stretchered off the field on 30 minutes with a suspected broken ankle.
The home side turned around at half time 12 points down but with the elements in their favour for the second half. An extended period of sustained pressure by Park saw Singleton go close only to be denied over the line by some frantic defence.
Rovers bounced back with a further score when hooker Cushlow peeled off from a driving maul to score an unconverted try. Despite the score line Percy Park were having more of the possession but did not quite have the cutting edge to finish and in truth turned over too many balls to their opponents.
The deficit was soon cut with a try in the corner by fly half Thomas Turnbull popping up in his more accustomed role on the wing, finishing off a series of attacking moves by the forwards.
The game ended with another score late on by Cushlow for his second try of the day.
Percy Parks second team travelled to Darlington Mowden Park and went down 27 7 with Parks try being scored by Ben Debnam, converted by Phil Morse.
Next week all four of Parks sides are in action with the first and seconds away to West Hartlepool, the Pumas at home to Westoe III and the Marauders away to Blyth III.