North One East

 

Bradford and Bingley RFC 27 v Percy Park 36

 

Superlative Faatau ensures Park avoid the drop

 

 

In their final league game of the season, Percy Park travelled across the Pennines knowing that only a ‘five point’ win against fellow season strugglers Bradford and Bingley RFC would secure their place within the North One East structure next season. With the players bus packed full of supporters and numerous vehicles following crammed with the Preston Avenue faithful, we had ourselves a ‘black and white’ convoy ,full of hope that the ‘Great Escape’ could be achieved. And in doing so the players took heart in the knowledge that a vociferous vocal support would offer encouragement to achieve a difficult and demanding result at the home of ‘The Bees’. A ground where Percy Park routinely had struggled to achieve any significant result. It was going to be a tense affair and certainly not a game for the faint hearted.

Bradford started the livelier of the two sides with Percy Park looking edgy and tense. With the game stuck in front of Parks ‘22’, attack met defence with Bradford running short punchy lines before releasing their backs to stretch the defence. Park were able to absorb the pressure albeit with some fortunate tap tackles to hold the Bees at bay. With the play creeping towards the Park try line Sean Williamson fell afoul of the referee by interfering with a quickly taken free kick. With the yellow card shown Park were down to ten and Bradford sensed opportunity. With the extra man Bradford punched holes in the Park defence and brought the play ‘around the corner’ into Parks backline and if it wasn’t for Ross Alexander holding ‘man and ball up’ over the line Bradford would have made the first score. Yet the pressure was relentless and you knew that it was only a matter of time before the Park wall broke. With quick hands Bradford came on the diagonal and with a mismatch in defence wing Kieran Sutherland was bounced off in the tackle and Bradford recorded the first score of the day. Fortunately for Park the Bradford kicker had left his boots at home and he dragged the kick across the face of the goal. Lome Faatau collected his troops behind the posts and short sharp discussion was had. What was said is unknown yet conceding the try and the opportunity to calm nerves did Park a power of good because from the kick off they came out flying.

 

North One East

Percy Park RFC 24 v Dinnington RUFC 15

A much needed five point win!!

 

 

 

Whilst staring down the abyss Percy Park produced a fine home performance that brought those 5 very precious league points and just as importantly, the opportunity to avoid relegation in the final game of the season away to Bradford. It really is nail biting stuff and to quote that old cliché ‘it’s going down to the wire!!’Yet after this performance they have to believe they can do it…their fortune really is held within their own hands.

The day was bright and sunny and the Preston Avenue supporter’s ranks were swelled by a large number of very vocal former players, enjoying a pre match lunch in the clubhouse along with guests from sponsors Wade Financial. There was hope, belief and intent that all would be well and that intent seemed to be transferred to the pitch as Percy Park came flying out of the traps to challenge the kick off….and in doing so wing Kieran Sutherland clattered into the opposition leaving his opponent prostrate on the ground for several minutes. With the Park player lucky to avoid a yellow card, the Park faithful could see that their team were up for the challenge. And Park exerted all the early pressure, threatening the Dinnington line. If they had shown that little bit of composure and looked after the ball a bit better, instead of trying to force the pass, an early score would have been insured. The breakthrough came on the 20 minute mark whilst both sides had been reduced to 14 players. The Dinnington blindside forward was penalised for a dangerous tackle on Seb Reece to be followed by Seb Reece receiving his marching orders for tackling in the air. With Michael Langlands making use of the extra space he attacked the right wing channel, travelling through several attempted tackles, before being hauled to the ground by the covering defence. With several Park players in support they created a ‘clearing ruck’ and with scrum half Jimmy Baldwin releasing Sean Williamson, Park were over for the first score of the day. Hope abounded.

 

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North One East

Percy Park RFC 10- Cleckheaton 14

Better late than never as last minute Park gain valuable point.

 

 

 

As game time approached dark and ragged clouds threatened rain…come kick off time those dull skies produced a persistent light rain that turned the Preston Avenue pitch into a strength sapping quagmire that would not and could not produce any running rugby. So it was down to the forwards and defensive systems to slug it out; the ‘more likely winner’ being the team that produced the fewer handling errors. With Park needing to ‘get something from this game’ and preferring a harder pitch the conditions were not welcomed, yet they stuck at their task against a very capable Cleckheaton side and managed to fashion that all important point in almost the last minute of the game. It wasn’t pretty and at the end of the contest both teams were so plastered in mud you really couldn’t tell ‘who was who’ but that point was earned and you never know with three games to go how valuable it might prove to be.

Park started the better of the two sides with Sean Williamson ‘leading the charge’ deep into the Cleckheaton half. And it was here that Park remained for the best part of 20 minutes without being able to generate a score. The hits and the tackles were hard and no quarter given. When ‘Cleck’ were handed the ball they cleared deep into the Park half forcing ‘the black and whites’ to come back at them.

Having absorbed the storm Cleckheaton started to play some great tight rugby that demonstrated why they were challenging in the top half of the league. Picking some ‘hard straight lines’ they asked a lot of the Park defence and when the ball was held in the ruck area a passage of ‘pick and goes’ had Park on the back foot. The Cleckheaton scrum half was lively, throwing short sharp passes moving his team forward. You could sense that a score was coming and so it proved to be when Park ran out of defensive numbers to allow a ‘Cleck’ player to skip through and score. With the try converted Park were behind.