Percy Park Pumas reached the final of the Northumberland 3rd XV Cup, and hoped to emulate their victory last season in the final against Morpeth. Unfortunately Tynedale had other ideas.
Park started brightly and had several good phases of play, but the tackling of the Tynedale players kept their defences intact and indeed it was Tynedale who scored first against the run of play with an opportunist try from fly half Ross Gray. The Tynedale 10 chipped the oncoming Park midfield defence and gathered his own kick to score under the post and the conversion gave Tyne a 7 - 0 lead.
Park cut the deficiet with a penalty from captain Gary Davy but again it was Gray who extended the Tynedale lead with a well taken try jinking through the deperate Pumas defence.Davy kept Park in touch with another penalty to take the half time score to 12 - 6.
In the first half Park had kicked away far too much possesion and tried in the second half to keep the ball in hand. The second period was a niggly affair with several fracas between the players as the stop start style of the referee began to frustrate both sides.
Tynedale scored again wide out after a good passage of play utilising their quicker young backs, and with the score at 17 - 6 Park faced an uphill struggle. The game was stopped again when tempers spilled over and a player from each side was sent to the sin bin.
Park scored a consolation try with almost the last play of the game through Adam Fidler, but on the whistle for the end of the game it was Tynedale who were celebrating.