DRIFFIELD 54 – 5 PERCY PARK

 

Park’s chances of moving out of the relegation zone were derailed on Saturday by a strong well drilled Driffield side and three tries in 5 minutes by winger Alasdair McClarron hailed by the home side as the Kelleythorpe Express.

 

The visitors started brightly having made several changes to the side that lost to West Hartlepool two weeks ago and after 15 minutes with neither side having opened their account, Liam Casey had to leave the field after a dangerously high tackle which went unpunished by the referee. Liam joins the legion of injured and unavailable players with a fractured cheekbone.

 

The home side began their try fest with 3 well finished tries by left wing Alasdair McClarron who had only just returned to the side after injury. Fly half Birch converted 2 and after 20 minutes Park were down 19 – 0.

 

Whilst Park’s line out was working well enough the bigger more experienced Driffield pack placed pressure on the younger visiting forwards. This pressure told when Cook scored from a catch and drive from a line out after Park had conceded a penalty for a late tackle.

 

Percy Park rallied for a spell with a series of driving mauls which were pulled down, with the referee warning Driffield on a number of occasions. The official’s patience eventually ran out and he yellow carded the home side's number 8 for collapsing a maul from a line out.

 

A sustained period of pressure in the Driff 22 saw Thomas Turnbull cross the line only to see his try disallowed as the referee was unsighted. Rob Kalbraier made amends moments later however when he crashed over after a good break by Paul Davison and surging run by Andrew Dunn. Thomas Turnbull was unable to make the conversion and the score line remained 24 – 5 at the break.

 

The Woldsmen started the second half brightly with an early penalty from Birch and well worked try from centre Plumridge after his fellow centre broke several Park tackles and offloaded for a converted score under the post.

 

 The Driffield backs seemed to have more urgency and pace than the visitors and coupled with good support play by the forwards scored the best try of the game. Jones finished off the try after a breakout from the home sides 22. Birch missed the conversion but did slot a penalty shortly after as Park infringed offside.

 

The home side rounded off their victory with 2 further tries by Birch and Millar whilst Park were down to 14 men after lock Craig Fidler was sent to the sin bin.

 

Although well beaten on the day the Percy Park side stuck to their task and credit must go to the young players from the Lions who have stepped up to the Ist XV following a horrendous spell of injuries to key players. The side included 10 players under the age of 21.

 

Percy Park Lions travelled to Tynedale and went down 25 – 7. Andrew Clyde scored Parks try which was converted by Morse.

 

Next week Percy Park entertain Hartlepool Rovers in the league and must hope for a return to form to stem the tide of losses. The Lions travel to Darlington Mowden Park.

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PERCY PARK 5 – HARTLEPOOL ROVERS 22 

If pride and passion alone determined an outcome, then Park would have won this encounter with Rovers. It doesn’t and Park remain in the relegation basement and the visitors entrenched in their mid table position.

 

Once again Percy Park started brightly having made several changes to last week’s side which lost to Driffield. Mal Donald returned at hooker with Scotty Graham moving to the bench. Richard Ponton returned at openside, and Tom Heenan occupied the blind side flanker position with Andy Dunn and Michael Langlands moving back to the Lions. Chris Bell also returned to the side for Luke Casey who has moved on to pastures new with our best wishes.

 

Rovers took the lead after 15 minutes with a good try by Gareth Foreman who ghosted through the Park defence after the visitors won good line out ball in the Park 22. Despite some confusion with the touch judging, the referee adjudged the conversion had not been made and the score remained 5 – 0.

 

The visitors stretched their lead with a try from Simon Rutherford which this time Foreman did convert from a more acute angle.

 

Park’s Dan Duhrin had decided to make this game his last, due to recurring knee injury, and played in the centre to help the cause due to injury and non availability of other players. Having been made honorary captain for the day the cruellest of luck saw him stretchered off the field on 30 minutes with a suspected broken ankle.

 

The home side turned around at half time 12 points down but with the elements in their favour for the second half. An extended period of sustained pressure by Park saw Singleton go close only to be denied over the line by some frantic defence.

 

Rovers bounced back with a further score when hooker Cushlow peeled off from a driving maul to score an unconverted try. Despite the score line Percy Park were having more of the possession but did not quite have the cutting edge to finish and in truth turned over too many balls to their opponents.

 

The deficit was soon cut with a try in the corner by fly half Thomas Turnbull popping up in his more accustomed role on the wing, finishing off a series of attacking moves by the forwards.

 

The game ended with another score late on by Cushlow for his second try of the day.

 

Percy Park’s second team travelled to Darlington Mowden Park and went down 27 – 7 with Parks try being scored by Ben Debnam, converted by Phil Morse.

 

Next week all four of Park’s sides are in action with the first and seconds away to West Hartlepool, the Pumas at home to Westoe III and the Marauders away to Blyth III.

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PERCY PARK 24 - 7 SHEFFIELD

 

The rain couldn't dampen the home side's spirits and this vital win means Percy Park are now off the bottom of North 2 East.

 

 

Due to the conditions, the game was switched from the Ist XV pitch to the adjacent King School Ist XV pitch and due to players returning from injured Park made some 9 changes from the side that lost so narrowly away to Sheffield earlier in the season.

 

 

The early encounters were evenly matched as both sides tried to get to grips with the conditions and a greasy ball, but it was Percy Park that opened the scoring with a try by Neill from a catch and drive line out close to the visitors line. Turnbull was unable to add to the score with a difficult conversion from wide out.

 

The home side stretched the lead not long after with a fine try, finished off by David Griffiths who has made the switch from fullback to centre this season. A typical surging run from Sam Walton set the move going and a break with Paul Singleton coming into the line had support on either side. Singleton's inside pass to Griffiths allowed the centre to surge past the last man in defence and score under the posts making Turnbull's conversion a formality.

 

 

The half ended 12 - 0 without further addition to the score but with Stu Denny being harshly sin binned for allegedly pulling down a maul close to the Park line.

 

In the second half Sheffield battered away at the Park line and surprisingly spurned an easy kick at goal following a Park infringement opting instead for a line out which was lost allowing Park to clear their lines. The constant pressure from the Yorkshiremen eventually told and after a series of rucks near the line scored with their replacement lock forward getting the touch down and flyhalf Davis adding the two points from the conversion to reduce the lead to 12 - 7.

 

 

Percy Park responded almost immediately with a try by wing Mark Clarkson after some good individual running by Liam Casey on the opposite wing. Casey danced his way past several would be tacklers bringing the ball infield. When the move seemed to have come to an end with some desperate defending by Sheffield somehow Singleton managed to offload the ball to Clarkson to score, with Turnbull adding the extras to make the scoreline 19 - 7.

 

 

There were some notable individual performances, particularly by Stu Denny who seems back to his old self and Sam Walton who played his first league game back since breaking a bone in his wrist earlier in the season.

 

It was left to Paul Davison to round off the day and seal victory with a trademark try running in from just inside the visitors half after receiving a scooped pass from Sam Walton at the base of the scrum. Davison made the break and dummied the last man to score wide out. Referee Dave Routledge brought the game to an end in the gloom to the delight of the home team and its supporters who are looking to continue winning ways with the next league game in two weeks at home to fellow league strugglers Alnwick.

 

 

A combined second/third XV played Blaydon and won comfortably 33 - 0 with tries from Vickers, Bell, Armstrong, Turner and Langlands. Morse added to the score with 4 conversions.

 

 

Percy Park Marauders were unlucky not to come away from Seghill with a victory as a last minute penalty from Burns went wide of the post and the home side winning 29 - 27. Park's tries came from Lohoar, Todd and Beers (2). Burns kicked a penalty and two conversions.

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Percy Park 28 - 23 Stockton 

A nail biting finish and some heart stopping moments for the home supporters, but a win against fellow league strugglers Stockton moves Percy Park outside the relegation zone. Last Friday the RFU announced that there would be no relegation for National League 1 as they expand the numbers from 14 to 16 teams, and although this will have a knock on effect some way down the leagues it still seems as though the bottom 3 sides in North 2 East will be relegated in any event.

 

Park made 3 changes to the side that won against Sandal last week, bringing in Michael Conn at scrum half for the unavailable Paul Davison, Michael Langlands came in at second row for Carl Griffiths who was thought to be injured but covered a place on the bench. The final change was Andy Dunn for Mal Donald also thought to be unavailable and due to a mix up Nick Vickers was unfortunate to be left out of the squad altogether.

 

The conditions were conducive to a fast flowing game following sterling work by the ground staff, transforming a pitch which was looking unplayable on Tuesday. Stockton opened the scoring with back to back penalties by Jeremy Goode after Park’s backs had infringed offside.

 

In the encounter earlier in the season at Stockton, the red and whites over powered the Park pack, but not today with Chris Dunn and Stu Denny beefing up the front row, and the greater supremacy in the tight allowed Park's backs possession, which they had not previously enjoyed.

 

David Griffiths opened the scoring for the home side with a powerful run in midfield scoring under the posts to allow Phil Morse to convert and take the lead 7 - 6. Morse who had been practicing all week had his kicking boots on today and soon after slotted a penalty to extend the lead.

 

Park were still gifting the Teesside outfit penalty after penalty which Goode punished with un erring accuracy kicking 6 penalties all told during the game. 3 penalty kicks by Goode of  Stockton, and another by Morse took the half time score to 15 - 13 to the visitors.

 

Mal Donald came on for Andy Dunn in the second half although Park gave away another silly penalty which Goode kicked to extend the Stockton lead. With Park now behind, the home side decided to play more adventurous attacking rugby and following a period of pressure inside the park 22, Liam Casey decided to run the ball out of defence with a typical jinking run taking the play well into the Stockton half and linking with David Griffiths to score his second try.

 

Phil Morse converted and Park were now back in the lead 20 points to 18.

 

From the kick off Michael Langlands caught the ball on the Park 22 and made off down the pitch brushing aside would be tacklers with the odd side step thrown in for good measure. The visiting supporters couldn't believe what they were watching after one by one Langlands passed the whole Stockton side and scored a remarkable individual try in the corner. The delight of the Park players was clear for all to see as they mobbed the young second row to celebrate his debut try for the Ist XV. Morse was unable to make the difficult attempt at goal.

 

Stockton were not about to give up without a fight and again took play back to the Park 22, and with 8 minutes to go scored through lock Mark Scrivington. A conversion by Goode would have tied the scores but his kick went wide, and Park held on to a slender 2 point lead.

 

Pressure this time on the Stockton line gave Park a chance to increase their lead. With the visitors scrum half Armstrong deliberately preventing quick release from a ruck in front of the posts. Percy Park had an overlap as referee Peter Forsythe played advantage as the ball came back to Thomas Turnbull who opted for the drop goal which was successful and Park were now 28 - 23 up with a nervous 5 minutes to go.

 

Neither side added to their tally and Park were deserved winners 3 tries to 1, but the penalty count and an on song Jeremy Goode could have been their undoing.

 

Next week Percy Park play host to league leaders Penrith at Preston Avenue, and the match sponsors are local solicitors Hadaway and Hadaway.

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