Candy League 2

Medicals RFC 25 v Percy Park RFC Lions 45

Henderson’s locks prove the catalyst for a 14 man win

The Lions travelled to fellow unbeaten Candy 2 rivals Medicals and faced very tough opposition who pushed them to the limit. Autumn Internationals had taken some toll on selection and the pack was reshuffled again. Hats off to Nick McIntyre who answered a call late on Friday night to join the squad and put in his best performance to date.

Percy Park dominated the early possession yet the final pass or lack of ball protection was letting them down. And as a consequence suffered. Following an infringement and against the run of play Medicals converted a penalty. 17 minutes gone 3-0 to the home side.

Park responded quickly. With ball in hand the Lions back line was looking dangerous. Phil Morse consistently breaking tackles. A series of attacking phases saw Paddy Hargreaves cross under the posts, the kick was good. 3-7 on 21 minutes.

The Park pack lost hooker Sam Hutley early on with a back injury causing a reshuffle and the returning Nathan 'Locks' Henderson opted for the flank and put in a great shift which earned him the MOTM accolade.

Poor decision making from the kick off saw Percy Park try to run out from their 22. A knock on and following scrum saw the Medics 9 dart over. Converted on 26mins. 10-7 Medics.

Park responded in the best way possible. Forward dominance in front of the posts saw Travis Bowart burrow his way over. The conversion was good.10-14 to the away side. It was in medical terms ‘nip and tuck’!

Travis Bowart was unfortunate to get a straight red for a high tackle. Both sets of supporters were undecided on the colour. Decision made. Park down to 14. Backs against the wall ‘The Lions’ dug in. On 42 minutes powerful running by Henderson saw a couple of defenders bounced and he was over in the right corner on 42, Walker converted from the touchline 10-21 at the turn

Medicals came out of the blocks quicker than Park and crossed on 45 minutes. The kick was missed but at 15-21 we were in a game. A sharp move down the right saw Walker grubber through, collect the kick himself and touch down. Great score. But the Team manager was not smiling. 15-26.

Subs were being rolled as the 14 men tired or picked up knocks and the impressive Danny Simpson crossed on 50, converted from wide on the right by Walker. 15-33.

Our backs were beginning to have a field day as Medics tired, Dan Jackson polished off a great performance with a brace of tries on 62 and 65. At 15-45 ‘game over’ we thought. But Park lost the impressive Morse with a groin strain and the last ten minutes belonged to Medicals as the legs of the 14 men tired. Two late tries saw a final score of 25-45.

Percy Park taking maximum bonus points and consolidating their position at the top of Candy 2.  Alnwick II in the cup next week who are top of Candy 1and unbeaten.

Representing Percy Park RFC:

From 15: Dan Jackson,Robin Houghton, Paddy Hargreaves, Phil Morse,Stephen Turner, Andrew Walker and Joe Cassidy

Candy 2

Percy Park RFC Lions 65 v Novocastrians 2nd XV 14

No Strange things as Lions net eleven

The unbeaten Lions dispatched Novos II in style on Saturday. Hat tricks for Skipper Andrew Cl\yde and centre Paddy Hargreaves made for a one sided affair. On 3 minutes Clyde powered over and was converted by Phil Morse 7-0. On 9 minutes Morse went over himself and duly converted 14-0. Five minutes later Clyde was over again on the left. On 17 minutes he completed his hat trick after great work by the returning Andy McGrath who broke through and with a deft offload but Clyde in under the posts .

The conversion by Morse ,at 17 minutes gone and 26-0 up . Five  minutes later good work by the backs saw Paddy Hargreaves cross for the first time , converted by Morse 33-0. 

Candy League 2 North

Percy Park RFC Lions 42 v South Shields Westoe RFC Development XV 27

Walkers 'six out of six' secures the win

An entertaining game, in front of a big crowd, proved to be a real test for an emerging Percy Park Lions side. The Lions matched up against a big well drilled Westoe pack, who fortunately did not have the same strength in depth across their three quarter line.

From the kick off Percy Park were placed under pressure and we struggled to get a grip on the game. An early infringement on 7 minutes let Westoe in to open the scoring. Their fullback converting from the 10m line with ease. Park bounced though and a powerful leg drive and tenacity saw a determined Connor Rogerson go over on 12 mins. The try converted by Andrew Walker. 7-3 the score.

On 18 mins Percy Park were penalised by referee Tony Partlett. The infringement was converted again from distance. The Westoe full back was showcasing an adept use of the boot. The player was punishing us every time he had the ball in hand with a cannon of a right foot. 7-6 Park.

Westoe had their tails up and started to play effective route one rugby. Our defence held well but on 25 the defensive line was broken, Westoe were over. The try converted. 7-13 to the visitors.   

As the contest progressed the game ebbed and flowed. There was nothing between the two sides. The packs were well matched. Percy Park edged the line outs and Westoe the scrums. Park really needed to gain and keep the ball to provide opportunity to unleash our back line .On 39 quick thinking by Rogerson saw a ‘tap and go’ and he was over again for his seventh try of the season. The effort was converted. 14-13 Park. The crowd, players and referee were all enjoying the game. The bout was hard, fair and entertaining. All eagerly awaited the second half.

From the restart Park attacked quickly, sucking in the defence tight on the left. A deft cross kick ‘over the top’ was picked up by Paddy Hargreaves who crossed on 41 mins. A good start. 21-13 to Percy Park. Many thought that breathing space had been achieved. That thought was quickly dismissed. Two minutes later South Shields Westoe crossed our line again and converted. 21-20 on 43 minutes.

Percy Park ‘caught a break’ as Westoe replaced their full back and as a consequence were not getting the same field position with their aerial game. Fly Half Andrew Walker took advantage with probing kicks down the line. The tactical change proved advantageous as Park started to peg Westoe back in their own half. On 55 good work by the forwards saw the returning Sean Williamson use his bulk to cross the line. 28-20.

The Percy Park three quarter line were playing with confidence slinging the ball about to great effect and the makeshift Westoe backs were struggling to cope. Great hands on 63 mins saw Dan Jackson pop up on his opposite wing to finish a flowing move under the posts. Converted by Walker 35-20. Westoe weren't done though. Percy Park gave away a series of daft penalties. Referee Partlett penalising the home side for holding onto the ball. With ten minutes to go Westoe had rallied and bombarded the Percy Park try line. A penalty try was awarded 35-27. Westoe deserved the score

Westoe were revived and a comeback looked likely. They literally threw everything at Park. Showing astute leadership Captain Josh Lake ensured the defence stayed connected and disciplined. There was plenty of chat and encouragement. Lake was at the fore when it mattered and as a consequence he got his mullet dirty. Getting his hair dirty is a big thing for the Lakemeister.In. The game went to the wire. In the last minute Park transitioned from their 22 following good handling by the backs. A well thought cross kick, albeit in slow motion by Andrew Walker, landed in the eager hands of Ben Anderson. With an adept side step Anderson crossed in the corner. Andrew Walker converted his ‘six out of six’ and that was that 42-27 to the Lions.

Possibly a flattering score but we will take it and look forward to the return in South Shields. This was a great game to watch and play in and both sides deserve credit for serving up a real contest. The after match chatter from all players was all about heroes and villains. They enjoyed it and so did we.

Representing Percy Park RFC:

From 15: Dan Jackson, Nathan Coxon,Ben Anderson,Phil Morse,Paddy Hargreaves,Andrew Walker and Steven Turner

From 8: Connor Rodgerson,Alan Clayton,Travis Bowart, Josh Lake, Maark Barry, Mark Sanderson, Alex Lamb and Andrew Steinberg.

Finishers:Peter Basara, Steven Dryden, Sean Williamson,Cameron Young, Toby Davison.

Candy League 2

Ponteland RFC 2nds 5 v Percy Park RFC Lions 17

Lions go top after late show at Pont

On Saturday 091021 the Lions from the Tynemouth fringe travelled the short distance to visit the gentle people of Pony. The use of the word Pony is not a mistake. Predictive text always replaces the word Pont with the word Pony…as the WhatsApp groups abounded, asking who was going up to Pony on Saturday afternoon, there was many a quizzical, moral and ethical reply doubting that the sender wished to visit a Pony. Confusion abated and many a supporter travelled to Pont to watch the Lions face their toughest test of the season against a skilled and drilled Ponteland second 15. What the spectator witnessed was a close encounter and a home side that pushed Percy Park all the way.

The home side were out of the blocks much quicker than Park and dominated many of the fist exchanges. Deservedly opening the scoring on 15 minutes. Fortunately for Percy Park the kick failed to convert and secure the additional points. The first score seemed to settle the away side. Park started to feel their way into the game. Dominant performance in the set piece allowed the visitors good possession. Michael Langlands and Mark Barry commanded in the air enabling a ‘catch and drive’ to go to the maul on or about the home sides 22. Ponteland were unable resist with Andrew Clyde taking advantage crossing the line to score a fine try. The kick at goal was missed 5-5 on 28 minutes.

The contest began to ebb and flow with the home side prepared to run the ball at every opportunity. Percy Park needed to be up to the task with a capable smother defence.

On 36 more good driving play almost put Josh Lake in but he was held up over the line. Suprising with the extra tonnage he appeared to be carrying. The restart under the posts was butchered by Ponteland, eagerly gathered on the right by Paul Spowart and some decent interplay put Howard Stock in in the corner. 5-10 to Percy Park at the half.

Again the half time chat seemed to do the business, despite taking injuries Park got progressively better.  Some reorganisation in the backs seemed to work. Left wing Danny Simpson seemed to benefit from the quicker ball enabling to make good ground. Ponteland were well drilled with a sharp covering defence. The home side were working hard .As the clock ticked Ponteland rolled the dice, following another tap and go in their own 22  they passed the ball into the eagerly awaiting hands of Paul Spowart who went under the posts on 60 minutes. A gift accepted but it was harsh on Ponteland and their team knew it. A prostrate Ponteland player took an age to get up from the mistake and as he did so Michael Langlands sportingly commiserated. The act summed up the game. A tough contest being played in a sportsmanlike way. The referee contributed, playing his part in allowing the game to be played, but also marching teams back 10 when there was any verbal misdemeanours. The misdemeanours soon stopped and as a consequence player and spectator enjoyed their afternoon. The try was converted by Ben Anderson 17-5.

With 12 the difference the away support believed the mistake had thwarted any chance of a Ponteland recovery. To their credit Pont continued to create chances with strong forays into the Park 22. They came up short due to some committed defence and a well-executed exit play that had the home team back on their heels. Following a penalty award Park had an opportunity to go for the corner and with a dominant line out could have and probably would have crashed over for a score and an all-important league bonus point. Inexplicably Park took the kick at goal and missed. And in the missing the extra point went begging. 17-5 the final score.

The coaching staff were quick to acknowledge that Park’s penalty count was too high and they have a need to address that. That aside the players showed real commitment and enthusiasm for the task and were roundly thanked for their efforts. Ponteland were stiff opposition and we look forward to the return encounter and wish them well for the rest of the season.

With the points take Percy Park moved to the top of the Candy 2 table and welcome Westoe to Preston Avenue next week

The co-author wishes to thank Mark ’Mutley’ Jackson for his 5 minute cameo before retiring with a cramp of sorts! We enjoyed your company minus the 5 minutes you managed to stay on the pitch.

Our thanks go to Ponteland RFC for their welcoming hospitality… it is always a pleasure to visit win or lose.

Representing Percy Park RFC:

From 15: Andrew Walker, Dan Jackson, Howard Stock, Paul Spowart, Phil Harrison, Ben Anderson and Cameron Young

From 8: Michael Langlands, Josh Lake, Travis Bowart, Mark Barry, Andrew Clyde, Ben Morris, Sam Hutley and Peter Basara.

Finishers: Steven Dryden, Connor Rogerson, Mark Jackson and Danny Simpson