SUNDERLAND 27 - 23 PERCY PARK
With only injury time remaining Park led 23 - 20, an improbable scoreline for those who had witnessed the lack lustre first half display. But the home side stuck to their guns and rumbled over for a try to complete the double over a disappointed Percy Park.
Park travelled to Ashbrooke Sunderland to the return league fixture, hoping to make amends for the home loss, back in October. In fact Percy Park had won 10 straight league games since the defeat at the hands of the Wearside team. The home team started brightly and after 3 minutes were awarded a penalty, which wing Sean Bellon, was unable to convert.
Sunderland had most of the early play and territory, and scored their opening try through powerful prop David Williams, who was takled just short of the line by Liam Casey, but managed to place the ball over the line with an outstretched arm. Bellon converted and the home side led 7 - 0 after 6 minutes. The home side had most of the possession for the first 20 minutes with Park seemingly content to sit back and allow the Wearsiders to take the play to them. Both kickers had penalty chances but missed, until Bellon slotted a one of the several penalties conceded by Park to take the score to 10 - 0.
Phil Morse kicked 2 penalties, for Sunderland indiscretions to keep Park in contention, but shortly before half time Sunderland scored a Kieran Lawry try, and with the conversion led at half time 17 - 6. After a stern half time team talk,
Park started the second period like a different side and attacked the Sunderland line, and after several driving mauls had been pulled down, the referee had no option but to yellow card Sunderland's influential skipper Tony Irwin. Park used the numerical advantage in the pack and rumbled over for a try by lock Carl Griffiths from a line out on the Sunderland 5 metre line. Park's regular kicker Phil Morse had left the field with a ham string injury, but number 8 Brett Sylph stepped up to convert from the touchline, and Park were back in the game and only 4 points behind.
Park indiscipline led to another penalty to the home side which Sean Bellon kicked, but Park replied with an opportunist try by Mark Foster- Moore. From a scrum on the Sunderland 22, scrum half Jimmy Baldwin box kicked to the corner. The Sunderland right wing seemed to have the ball covered, but it bounced back over his head into the arms of the Park wing who gratefully scored in the corner. Sylph levelled the scores at 20 - 20 with an excellent conversion.
When Sunderland infringed on their 10 metre line and Brett Sylph kicked another penalty, it seemed Park had taken the game from the grasp of the home side 20 - 23, but in the dying moments Sunderland won possession and mauled the ball towards the Park line, eventually crossing the whitewash to take the lead and the game with the conversion 27 - 23.
Back at Preston Avenue Percy Park Lions were comfortable winners 55 - 7 against Berwick, who had earlier cried off the third team fixture. Craig Bartle and Mark Carr scored a brace of tries each, with Marcus Rutter, and Stephen McPherson also getting on the score sheet.