North 1 East
Pocklington 34-15 Percy Park
Park came away empty handed from Percy Road as Pocklington bagged much needed league points. The defeat leaves Percy Park only one point about the relegation zone.
Pock have built their game around a strong scrummage and it was in the tight that Park unravelled, although it was 20 minutes before the home side opened their account with a penalty after Michael Langlands was yellow carded for a no arms tackle. Pock couldn’t add to the score whilst a man up but as former skipper Langlands returned to the fray, the Yorkshiremen went ahead with a try by scrum half Davison after Park were pushed back from a scrum 5 metres out. The conversion by Chris Pollock gave the home side a 10 -0 lead. Park’s woes were compounded when tight head Michael Birkett went off injured, and with scrum dominance the Pock pack pushed Park over the line for their second try with number 8 Marcus Britland getting the touch down.
The conversion took the home team into a 17 – 0 half time lead.
Percy Park narrowed the deficit with a Grove penalty before Pocklington increased their lead with a penalty of their own. 20 – 3.
Park made a couple of changes with Leo Caulfield and Sean Williamson coming on as Andrew Walker and Josh Hedley were replaced.
Matty Boustead scored a good try cutting through the home defence and Grove converted to bring Park back into the game 20-10.
The brief respite was short lived as scrum half Davison burst through a ruck 40 metres out to cross for Pock and with the conversion they now led 27-10.
Park then gifted the home side their bonus point try with a loose pass being intercepted and the conversion took Pocklington out of sight at 34 -10.
The visitors were trying to force the game to get something out of the match but too many passes went to ground although wing Kieron Sutherland did cross for Park’s second try which was unconverted just before the final whistle.
Whilst Park have some scintillating backs they can’t perform when the forwards are outmuscled in the tight and in the mauls. This is now the third straight loss with the same pattern. It’s rumoured that the scrummaging machine may be cut out of the long grass, the rust oiled and may be put into use before the Malton and Norton game next Saturday, either that or it’s going on Ebay not sure which.
Candy League
Percy Park Lions 19 – 34 Morpeth Reivers
It’s not all doom and gloom as the score might suggest, as the Lions looked to overturn Morpeth who had won in the first game of the season at Mitford Road by the comfortable margin of 58 – 3. Park looked to kick on from the excellent away performance at Horden last Saturday, but unavailabilities hampered selection, and with more than 20 players unavailable the Pumas game had to be sacrificed with several of the 3rd XV having to run out for the seconds, and a number of key Lions players being moved up to the 1st XV.
Morpeth quickly took the lead with an unconverted try and had most of the early territory and possession before going further ahead with a converted try. Park defended resolutely to keep the visitors out but the lack of size in the pack and the experienced old heads from the Reivers kept a strangle hold on the game as the Peth went further ahead0 – 17 then a 4th try just before the break took them to 0-22.
Strong words at half time by veteran prop Jackson standing in as team manager of the day seemed to have the desired effect as Park began to play territory with long kicks down field by Ben Anderson. However a fine counter attack by the Morpeth full back set up his sides 5th try and before long the Reivers were further ahead 0 -34 and it looked as though another large defeat was on the cards.
Several reshuffles of the pack seemed to bring some stability and from this platform fly half Jimmy Baldwin put Ben Anderson through for a try under the post for the Lions opening score. Anderson converted his own try 7-34.
This seemed to be the shot in the arm Park needed and soon after scrum half Danny Bell on debut burrowed his way through a mass of Morpeth players to score and again Anderson converted to bring the score to 14 – 34.
Morpeth seemed shell shock and couldn’t get out of their own half as Park crossed again wide out for a try and the conversion hit the bar but bounced out 19 -34.
It was all Park now with several of the Colts in the squad gaining confidence by the minute, Will Robinson was unlucky not to get the 4th try of the game as a chip through from Baldwin just eluded him before going into touch and goal.
The Lions can take a lot from this game, with a few older heads in the pack and a few less missed tackles the score could have been much closer.
Park have a third chance to turn the tables on the Reivers as they have been drawn to play each other at Mitford Road in the Candy Cup semi final on 22nd February 2020.
Next week the Lions are away to Blaydon Georgians, let’s hope the lure of the Metro Centre doesn’t prevail and there are enough players making themselves available so the Pumas game against Houghton away can go ahead.