Hartlepool Rovers 10 - 9 Percy Park
How many times can you cross the try line and not score? Answers on a postcard please!
Park lost today's encounter with league leaders Rovers,who played their "get out of jail free card" . Fair do's to the Friarage side they battled hard, and put up a great defensive display, and held on to a one point win against Park's 14 men.
Rovers kicked off, but the first quarter of the game was all Park pressure, with Phil Morse going close inside 2 minutes, but unselfishly elected to pass rather than go for the line himself but the pass did not go to hand.
Park's dominance in the scrum and line out gave plenty of turn over ball and Anthony Dunn was held up over the line, ut the first score came from the reliable boot of Rutter who slotted a penalty after Rovers were offside.
Drive after drive for the line was defended by the home side, and Chris Reekie was also ajudged to be held up over the line, then against the run of play Hartlepool Rovers ventured into the Park half with the vistors conceding several penalties before scrum half Foreman crashed over the line from a quick tap, not before Anthony Dunn had been sin binned for handling the ball at the back of a ruck which he thought was in play. The conversion from Sainty gave the home side a 7 - 3 lead on 32 minutes.
Park continued to drive into the heart of the Rovers defence, and when Power handled in the ruck, surprisingly the referee did not go for his card and the Hartlepool skipper stayed on the pitch. From the resulting penalty Rutter narrowed the gap to 7 - 6 shortly before half time.
In the second half Percy Park were awarded a penalty for repeated offending and again no yellow card. Rutter kept up his fine kicking display and put the visitors into a slender lead.
The contraversial moment on which the result turned, came when Park spun the ball through the hands of the backs and seeing the Rovers full back out of position, Phil Morse chipped the ball into the home side's 22, with Ali Blair chasing. The ball crossed the line and Blair and Morse beat the Rovers defender to the ball with Blair touching down. To the absolute dismay of the home side supporters, the referee awarded a 22 drop out to the home side.
Rovers had a couple of penalty chances but despite being 2 points down elected to kick to the corner rather than take the difficulty kick for goal. Park had already lost influencial player coach James Ponton through injury, and then skipper Brett Sylph was yellow carded. This time Sainty kicked the points on offer, and the league leaders were now in front by the narrowst of margins.
The Friarage has not been a happy hunting ground for Park, who haven't won there for many years, and today was not going to buck the trend. When Park lost scrum half John Scott with a blow to the head, and having already used all of their subs, they had to finish the game with only 14 men.
Park could feel justifiable agrieved at some inconsistant officiating, and will look to avenge the defeat when Rovers come to Preston Avenue on St Valentines Day.
Park's development team won again, mainting their top spot in Northumberland League 2b, beating Westoe III 20 - 3, at South Shields. The Pumas again had to hastily rearrange a fixture when Ryton II cancelled the game at Percy Park. The Pumas did pick up a game away to Seghill which they won 29 - 8.
Next week Park 1st XV play Wallsend at home and he skipper's dad celebrates a very special birthday.