Regional Two North
Percy Park RFC 50 v Carlisle RFc12
Mixed reaction as Park fall out of love with Rikki.
It is hard to work out which way to report on this game. After the Morpeth fixture Percy Park needed a performance and needed a result. They had the performance, in part, and got the result. A convincing 50 to 12 win. Yet a penalty count of 20 against and 4 for, the majority in the second half, plus 3 yellow cards and a failure to abide by any instruction given by the referee communicates a different narrative. Where do you begin?
Carlisle RFC made the trip along the A69 with a very young side. With two players hurt in the warm up they started the fray on the back foot. That lack of available numbers came back to haunt them with a vengeance. Percy Park fielded a strong side and started the contest really well. That well the faithful expected a landslide. The Carlisle support had their heads in their hands as injuries to key players took their toll. Although we constructed some really good try’s we didn’t kick on. To the faithful the half time score was slightly disappointing. Come the second half the Carlisle support were on their feet encouraging their team forward as we fell out of love with the referee. Our penalty count and yellow cards allowed the visitors to come onto us. Although we fashioned good scores within the context of this match, some where we were numerically disadvantaged, against better sides we wouldn't have got away with half of what we were able to get away with.. And that is no disrespect to Carlisle at all. So in pondering the question maybe the best place to start is with our Head Coach Ash Smith, who gave his reflection on the contest; underlining that we still have a lot to do if we are to challenge at the top of Regional 2 North.
‘’Much better response form the lads this weekend than last time out against Morpeth. Our main focus of the day was about putting in a performance rather than the result, but in the end I think we got both. Mentally, we showed a bit more cohesion off and on the pitch but still have a lot to work on if we are going to push for the top spots in this league.
I thought some lads put in a class shift in defence, Jake Smith back in the squad was mint connecting with the backs and made some really dominant hits, Howard and Seb in the middle had some brilliant defensive reads.
Charley Miller had a good starting debut, kept the ball moving in attack and I was really impressed with Jonny Dubois's physicality after a lengthy while on the side lines.’’
Percy Park’s first score came on 8 minutes. A bouncing pass from a line out was gathered by Josh Hedley who took the word bounce to another level crossing the line for a converted try. Percy Park dominated the set piece yet couldn’t quite get their flow in the loose. The faithful could sense that Carlisle were hanging on and that we had the ability to put the game to bed really early on. Why it didn’t quite happen will be down to post match analysis from the coaching team. Twenty three minutes in and the false starts were left behind as the pack destroyed the Carlisle scrum. Taking the ball against ‘the head’. The ‘8’ pick-up and pass gained good ground with Jamie Wrigley being the recipient of really good ball to score a converted try that owed a lot to speed and strength. 14-0 the score.
A really poor lineout from the home side put us in a spot of bother. The ball lofted high above any recipients head. The subsequent Carlisle throw in showed the home side how to move in the line. Carlisle were unlucky not to score. Thankfully five minutes later Jamie Wrigley was on hand to exhibit good movement of our own, utilising good genes, he cut through and powered over. 21-0
On the 35 minute mark Jake Smith benefitted from the catch and drive. Taking the penalty advantage off the scrum, Park ‘kind of’ butchered the opportunity to score with the ball appearing to ricochet off a hand or knee. Brought back to the penalty Percy Park drove forward with Jake Smith ‘dotting’ down. The conversion missed.
The game was paused for several minutes as a Carlisle player took an accidental blow to the head as he attempted to tackle a free running Seb Reece. An animated discussion took place between the referee, the physio and the Carlisle bench on Head Injury Assessments and the requirement, or not, of a player leaving the field of play. Fortunately the player was fit to continue but unfortunately for Percy Park Seb Reece tweaked his hamstring in the collision.
Worse was to follow as Jamie Wrigley allowed a poorly cleared ball to bounce in front of him before attempting the gather. The kick might have been poor but the follow up chase was not. As Wrigley attempted to dive onto and gather the ball the Carlisle player went to kick through to the open space behind. Boot made collision with shoulder and Wrigley clearly felt the impact. Although the player resolutely played on it was apparent to all he was hurt. Eventually making his way off the field.
At the turnaround we were 26 points to the good.
The second half quickly descended into a flourish of yellow cardboard. What happened at the breakdown can only be described by someone who has better eyesight than me. What I could see was that we were repeatedly going backwards and being admonished by the referee. We were definatly on a warning. Having lost ground, and in our 22, Josh Hedley failed to take a step back and in doing launched a marginally late hit on an opposite number. Having felt the verbal wrath of the referee it was no surprise when the yellow card was brandished. Park down to 14.
Try Carlisle. Carlisle kept the ball on the front foot rolling around Percy Park defenders until there was no-one left to support a despairing Paul Spowart. The Carlisle tight hand crashing the ball down on the turf with genuine malice between the posts. Somehow the conversion failed to go over.
Percy Park shuffled their cards from the bench. A frustrating period as we failed to read the game and kept kicking ball away . We needed a spark to take us out of the malaise and that spark came off the physicality of Jonny Dubois and Sam Digman as they took on the Carlisle defence. With Carlisle dropping back, scrum half Charley Miller was able to move the ball down the line with Ross Young targeting the defences weaker shoulder to cross. Try converted.
At this point the Park faithful were unusually quiet. Fortunately Matty Atkinson started warming up by skipping up and down the touchline to his mother reciting a nursery rhyme ‘’Mary, Mary, quite contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle shells, and pretty maids all in a row’’. Laughter and smiles abounded and that mood was enhanced as skipping prop entered the fray to the tones of ‘Mary Mary’ and went into orbit as Howard Stock scored a really good try. Tom Robinson restored to scrum half used his forwards to punch a hole. Capitalising on broken defence the player darted through before off-loading to the supporting Howard Stock. A good effort. 38 to 5 the score.
That good feeling soon disappeared as the referee and Percy Park failed to kiss and make up with Michael Langlands seeing yellow for a high hit on the Carlisle scrum half. Personally I thought this one was harsh. Contact looked to be below the shoulder. Carlisle created an opening in the line where the scrum half could receive the ball and work through the space in front. Michael Langlands saw the danger and closed the door. The referee adjudging the tackle was high and with force .Yellow card. All I can say is that the referee was nearer, and as I have mentioned before, I haven’t got 20/20 vision.
Carlisle made a ‘good fist’ of the extra body scoring in the corner. The referee ensuring that the Cumbrian player hadn’t entered touch first.
Percy Park reshuffled with Andrew Walker playing a more prominent role at fly half. Under manned Park kept and moved the ball well.
Eating up territory. A quick ball off Tom Robinson found the hands of 'Mary' who was able to move the ball onto to the advancing hands of Jonny Dubois. Dubois took a really good line on the angle and fending off two attempted tackles the player scored under the posts. A well taken and constructed try. Dubois was having a fine game at hooker and was in his element leading the line. So much so that the referee had to have a few words. And that relationship continued to deteriorate further as we continued to ignore his instructions at the breakdown. Again, defending in our 22, Eddie Saint was dispatched to the bin on a team yellow for persistently ignoring instructions.
Chris Reekie was putting in a shift and the sparring between Dubois and former Park player Harry Watson continued to fester. And boy were we falling out with the man in the middle.
The only spark of joy came from a blistering run from Howard Stock, full of quick feet. With the line begging the pass failed to go to hand. Really unlucky. The game started to spark a little with Josh Hedley then Tom Robinson getting into a small altercations. Fortunately Sam Digman was loitering about to power over from the ruck, and in doing, clam Robinson’s ire. Mind Robinson was getting a bit of stick. The player received the wrath of the Carlisle support for taking time out during, and as the game was ongoing, to speak to his girlfriend who apparently wasn’t his girlfriend because his girlfriend was at home. I think its proably best if I leave it there!.
Final score 50 points to 12.
A post-match injury review did not bring good news with Seb Reece and Jamie Wrigley picking up some significant knocks. Both players looking at being on the side lines for a while.
Represententing Percy Park RFC:
From 15: Jamie Wrigley, Tom Robinson, Howard Stock, Seb Reece, Ross Young, Paul Spowart and Charley Miller
From 8: Michael Langlands, Leo Caulfield, Jake Smith, Josh Hedley, Eddie Saint, Sam Digman, Jonny Dubois and Aaron Smith
Finishers: Chris Reekie, Matty Atkinson and Andrew Walker.