WALLSEND 5 – 48 PERCY PARK
The blanket of fog which threaten to postpone this rearranged league game didn’t deter supporters from both clubs descending on the Benfield Road Sports Ground to watch this local derby. Park got off to a flying start and went close to scoring three times in as many minutes, but it took the trusty boot of Marcus Rutter to opening the scoring on five minutes.
No sooner had the visitors taken the lead, with almost the first play after the restart Wallsend pounced back working the blind side flank with left wing Dan Sullivan going clear of the Park defence to score, but he couldn’t convert his own try.
It took Percy Park a full 20 minutes before they registered their first try, with Liam Blackburn finishing off a counter attacking move, started by fly half Phil Morse with Marcus Rutter coming into the line at pace. Blackburn received the final pass and stepped inside the last tackle to score a try which Rutter converted.
Park had the better of the line out possession, and Craig Fidler was taking a number of balls thrown in by the home side. With a line out on the Wallsend 22, Fidler snapped up a loose throw and charged for the line to score, and again Rutter converted.
Less than two minutes later Park scored another converted try, again from a scrappy line out near the Wallsend line, this time with scrum half John Scott going over.
Mike Baker had made a good Ist XV debut against Stockton on Saturday and retained his place on the left wing. He had already made several surging runs through the home side’s defence and was unlucky not to be awarded a try earlier when it appeared as though he had grounded the ball over the line. Nevertheless, he was to score his first try on 32 minutes with Rutter converting to take the score to
5 – 31.
Wallsend seemed a dispirited side, when Sam Walton crashed over from a catch and drive close to the line, and the home side went into the break 36 points to 5 up.
Six minutes into the second half Liam Blackburn scored his second try of the game, but Wallsend dug deep into their reserves and kept Park at bay for the next 25 minutes. Wallsend were awarded a scrum 10 metres from their own try line, and when John Scott scragged the Wallsend number eight, the Park back row drove him backwards towards the line with Greg Dixon snatching the ball before going over to score the last try of the game.
With the score at 5 – 48, referee Tony Parlett blew the final whistle, a couple of minutes short, but in the darkening gloom, and freezing cold damp conditions most people were pleased to repair to the bar.
At last, Percy Park have now caught up on all of the outstanding fixtures after a gruelling 11 games in five weeks. This Saturday they play Ashington away in the last of the regular season games having already secured the play of place to finish runners up to Hartlepool Rovers in Durham & Northumberland 1.