PERCY PARK 17 - 31 SUNDERLAND
It was shirt sleeve order at Preston Avenue, with no wind to speak of, and weather that was more fitting to a June afternoon rather than the first week of October. Park hoped to continue the battling form of last weekend, but instead slumped to a second successive defeat this time at the hands of Sunderland.
The visitors were in disarray even before kick off with several players arriving late, and their already follicly challenged coach was pulling out what remained of hair in the car park. Nevertheless it was Sunderland that struck first after only 5 minutes when Park lost a 5 metre scrum against the head near their own line, and number 8 Tony Irwin picked up and powered over the try line to score. Scrum half Peter Tarn was unable to convert.
Park lost wing Nick Vickers, who sustained a depressed fracture of the cheek bone and will be out for some months, and had to rearrange the side with Tom Heenan coming in to the back row and Greg Dixon moved to the wing.
Sunderland eased further into the lead when open side Ed Britton robbed a ball from a Park maul, and sped off up the pitch to score an individual try which Tarn converted, and Park were now down by 12 points. The home side misery didn't end there, and full back Jamie McLennan came into the line and evaded the Park defence to score, and again Tarn was on target.
Shortly before half time, Percy Park were awarded a penalty which they elected to kick at goal, and it was obvious that lady luck was otherwise engaged, when Rutter hit the upright and then knocked on when attempting to retrieve the rebound. Sunderland scored again on 38 minutes after Park hooker Andy Dunn was robbed of possession in a maul and Sunderland flanker Briiton scored his second try of the game. The gloom was temporarily lifted deep into injury time when stand in scrum half Thomas Turnbull was driven over the line for a Park touch down which Rutter was unable to convert.
At half time and 5 - 24 down, the riot act was called for and duly delivered by the coaches, and 8 minutes in, Park's Man of the Match Brett Sylph (masquerading as under a scrum cap as Wayne Dobson) scored after a caught and driven line out in the visitors 22. Rutter made good the conversion and the gap was narrowed to 12 - 24. Park's line out unlike the scrums was working well, and from another line out in the Sunderland half, Brett Sylph caught the ball, threw a dummy then set off for the line taking three defenders with him . As he reached out and dabbed the ball over the line to score, a Sunderland player kicked the ball away and unfortunately referee Craig Wrightson waved play on as the visitors were allowed to clear their line.
The home side was not playing coherently, and there seemed to be a lack of communication between forwards and backs; to make matters worse there was some dubious decision making when Park were in possession and all to often good ball was kicked away. It was from one such kick that Sunderland wing, Dan Abraham retrieved the lost Park ball and won the foot race to the line on the left wing. Tarn again converted.
Percy Park did score the final try of the game with an individual effort from Liam Casey who dummied and side stepped the cover defence to score. With Rutter off the pitch with a bad gash to the eye which required stitches, Dave Griffiths stepped up for the conversion but hit the upright as Rutter had done in the first half. The final score was Percy Park 17 Sunderland 31. The coaches and players alike will be hoping for a much improved performance next week away to Novos in the EDF Energy Senior Vase, to get the faltering season back on track.
Park Lions travelled to Bullocksteads to play Gosforth II, and won 26 - 12, with tries from Carl Griffiths, Phil Morse, Liam Blackburn and conversions by Phil Morse. Percy Park Pumas and Marauders fared less well with the Pumas losing at home 7 - 27 against Prudhoe and Stocksfield, and the Marauders went down 58 - 12 to Ashington II.