Percy Park 26 – 11 Carlisle

Ali Blair

Carlisle kicked off on a cold day with a harsh easterly wind, but it was the home side that notched first with a try by flanker Greg Dixon. Park had won a line out in the visitors half and Ali Blair made a break, but was held up over the line, but from the resulting scrum Park spun the ball right, and after re-cycling from a ruck, Greg Dixon was on hand hugging the touch line to go over in the corner for the score. Ash Smith then stepped up and kicked the difficult conversion.

Ten minutes later, Ali Blair was rewarded for his industrious work looking for the ball. Park’s top try scorer was given a lovely inside pass by John Scott, but he still had a good deal of work to do to get over the line. Once again the Park wing was stopped near the line, but his strength allowed him to retain the ball and wrestle it to the ground, shrugging off the Carlisle defenders to score. Again Ash Smith converted the difficult conversion.

Carlisle came straight back and after a good ten minute spell, scored on the right through wing Martin Brodie after a deft pass by Chris Harris put fellow centre Luke Bell through a gap in midfield. The ball was then shipped to the right winger who went over for the score on 24 minutes, but Grant Connon’s conversion attempt hit the post and stayed out. Park now led 14 – 5, which was how the half ended.

Percy Park 36 – 15 Northern

Ash Smith Scores Parks Second Try

Park had won the earlier encounter between the two sides at McCracken Park, and were looking to exercise a few ghosts from last week’s topsy-turvy performance. The visitors were looking for some well needed points to keep them out of the drop zone, back to Durham & Northumberland 1.

Park got off to a bright start with an early try after only 3 minutes, when Howard Stock crossed the line after a good break by skipper John Scott. The try in the right hand corner, meant a difficult conversion shot for Ash Smith, and the kick at goal dropped short.

Northern came straight back and a try from full back Jon Job, after a patient build up, levelled the scores. A nice inside pass by fly half Andy Sutherland put Job through the gap and under the posts, making the conversion attempt, a simple one, as the visitors took the lead 5 – 7.

Cleckheaton 33 – 32 Percy Park

Dave Griffiths Scores His Second Try

Cleckheaton kicked off, and had the slope and wind advantage in the first half, but it wasn’t the elements that were the difference between the two sides, rather the home side were up for the challenge, and Park thought they just had to turn up  -  which they didn’t for the first half hour.

Ash Smith had the chance to get Park on the score sheet in a rare foray into enemy territory, but his penalty kick hit the post and stayed out. Cleckheaton kicked deep and Ali Blair appeared to knock on but the referee deemed the ball had gone backwards, but then justice appeared to have been done when he was flagged for being in touch courtesy of a chorus of voices from the touch line when clearly still in field. Park then switched off and a well worked move at the front of the line allowed hooker Steve Worsley to charge down the blind side to score on 9 minutes.

PERCY PARK 41 – 28 WHEATLEY HILLS

An emphatic first half performance laid the ground work for a bonus point win that takes Park back to the top of North One East, leapfrogging West Hartlepool who ground out an away win at Pontefract. Park move ahead due to their superior points difference as for the second week in a row West, although winning couldn’t earn the vital extra bonus point.

Conditions were just about perfect for rugby with firm ground under foot and no wind, and both sides wanted to play rugby and royally entertained the crowd with a 10 try game that belied Hills reputation for just being a physical forward orientated side. It was the visitors who controlled the first 5 minutes of the game, but Park scored through Craig Fidler on six minutes with their first real spell of possession.

Fullback Ash Smith Scores Parks Second Try

Hills had the chance to open their account when Park strayed offside, but Guy Townsley was off target with the penalty kick. The visitors did however level the scores on 18 minutes when the ball was driven through the middle of a ruck by Byron Elliot and the Wheatley Hills rangy open side off loaded to Mikey Hayward to score with Townsley kicking the conversion.

Two minutes later Park re-took the lead again from a loose ball which involved Firth and Stock before the ball found full back Ash Smith who danced through a gap then powered his way through two defenders to score under the posts. His conversion made it 14 – 7. Ash Smith then stretched the lead for Park with a penalty three minutes later.