Category: 1st XV Reports 19/20
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North One East

Cleckheaton RUFC 47 v 14 Percy Park RFC 

Park drop into the danger zone.

04 01 2020 drive

Constructing a match report for this game has been a ‘tad’ difficult with much finger drumming on the authors desk…in fact I gave up….. preferring to join Mrs Wordsmith in her relentless search for a summer ‘fly and flop’. As the cost for the getaway became more akin to a small counties GDP, I became further unsettled choosing to go for a lie down in a darkened room. And why was the recall so difficult…for the first 30 minutes we looked good and it was only a breakaway try that separated the two sides. For the remainder of the half we were…well I am not sure where we were other than on the wrong side of a 21 to nil score line. The second half was much like the end of the first, culminating in a 47-14 loss. The result looks awful….Yet there was many on our team who played their socks off…a Michael Langlands chase back followed by a similar effort from Aaron Smith and Seb Reece were three standout moments…two fine tries from Adam Hay and Jake Smith promised much..…even our scrummage did well taking two against…..and all those efforts were topped off by a real classy man of the match display from Ali Blair…and there it is…Percy Park are akin to rugby’s stage version of Jekyll and Hyde…we have great periods in games and then somehow we cannot hold it together and end up more Hyde than Jekyll….if you wish to end your peruse at this point I will not be offended…or you can suffer with me and continue.

The game commenced with a minutes silence for two respected members of our rugby community who passed away over the festive period. A week ago we learnt that Terry Owen-Smith of Alnwick and our league secretary for the last 12 years had left us, then mid-week we heard that a Pocklington player, Billy Hardy had collapsed and died after a gym session. He was aged 27 years old. Percy Park would like to send their condolences to both families.

Category: 1st XV Reports 19/20
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Boxing Day Friendly
Percy Park RFC 82 v Whitley Bay Rockcliff 0
(Game called 12, 15 or 18 minutes early dependent on whose watch you were looking at!!)
Jock calls it early as Park ‘box up’ a try fest.
 
 
This was supposed to be the most eagerly anticipated Boxing Day Derby game in years. A resurgent and confident Whitley Bay Rockcliff playing at level 7 versus a mid-table Percy Park side playing at level 6. The gap between the two sides had been reduced and ‘the talk’ in all the bars, barbers, hairdressers and a local butchers shop along ‘the coast’ was all about how close the game was going to be. In recent memory the winner of this contest really was undecided. And so a mighty throng of people descended on the playing fields of Preston Avenue decked in their tribal colours of red and gold, black and white and blue and white. The electrical fizz of excitement was visual and the sideline banter reflected the eagerness and enthusiasm of the crowd. Both sides emerged to a roar from the densely packed support. Park looked serious and then as the visiting team gathered at the ‘Golf Club end’ the red and gold support went quiet. Deathly quiet. Ash Smith started the game with a long kick down field quickly gathered before the receiving player was swamped and Park gained control. Sixteen minutes later Park were 4 tries to the good and the home support were rapturous. After twenty five minutes the home side were up by 6 tries and even the most partisan black and white advocate became subdued. A dawning became apparent that all was not as it should be. The home support looked at their nearest and dearest in question. Shoulders were shrugged and groups began to gather in earnest conversation. By halftime what little contest there was became no contest and the Rockcliff support was incandescent, trooping to the bar in their ire. Many did not return for the second half, those that did took no notice and if I am really brutal neither did many of the Park faithful. One or two went home. So what happened and why were Rockcliff so poor?
 

Category: 1st XV Reports 19/20
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North One East

Percy Park RFC v Malton & Norton RUFC

Baby Jesus rocks Park’s cradle as a Wise man travels east


Langlands at the jump

Post-game, Malton and Norton provided all the fun as they attended the 1872 bar in Seasonal Nativity costume. Malton prop Rob Featherstone took the honour’s, not only with his interpretation of ‘Baby Jesus’, but also for his on pitch performance where the visiting sides front row caused Percy Park problems all afternoon. For Coach Lawrence Patton his last game in charge of the ‘black and whites’ was a dispiriting showing, especially as the home side had plenty of opportunities to get something from this game. As he takes the walk to be Head Honcho at the Gosforth Academy AASE programme (technically he has gone west…albeit I cannot let that ruin a headline!) Lawrence has Percy Park’s gratitude for all of his hard work, time and effort in guiding our team through the highs and lows of Level 6 rugby. It’s not easy. He has our thanks…. Having said that I am sure there is a few will appreciate Mr. Patton’s extra income as he never bought a round at the bar…he kinda just hovered around until someone purchased a beverage for him. Let’s hope the next incumbent of the coveted role brings some cash with him on match days….maybe that should be an interview question!!...so how did Malton ruin our esteemed leaders last day?

All the early work and pressure came from Percy Park who camped in Malton and Norton’s 22. That pressure soon showed as the away side infringed in front of the posts. Although advantage was played a forward pass brought the game to a halt and player coach Ash Smith to the easiest 3 points he could ever have. And from those words you gathered our man missed. The expletive said it all. Me, I think mentally he was still strolling around Alnwick gardens looking at fairy lights. Still a miss it was and the game continued with Park still dominating territory. We were going well until we were handed further torment when prop Andrew Steinburg dislocated his knee in the contact area. It didn’t look good and he has our very sincere hopes and wishes of a speedy recovery. All in all the rugby gods appeared to be lining up against the Tyneside team.

Category: 1st XV Reports 19/20
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North 1 East
Pocklington 34-15 Percy Park

Matty Boustead on his way to the try line

Park came away empty handed from Percy Road as Pocklington bagged much needed league points. The defeat leaves Percy Park only one point about the relegation zone.

Pock have built their game around a strong scrummage and it was in the tight that Park unravelled, although it was 20 minutes before the home side opened their account with a penalty after Michael Langlands was yellow carded for a no arms tackle. Pock couldn’t add to the score whilst a man up but as former skipper Langlands returned to the fray, the Yorkshiremen went ahead with a try by scrum half Davison after Park were pushed back from a scrum 5 metres out. The conversion by Chris Pollock gave the home side a 10 -0 lead. Park’s woes were compounded when tight head Michael Birkett went off injured, and with scrum dominance the Pock pack pushed Park over the line for their second try with number 8 Marcus Britland getting the touch down.

The conversion took the home team into a 17 – 0 half time lead.

Percy Park narrowed the deficit with a Grove penalty before Pocklington increased their lead with a penalty of their own. 20 – 3.
Park made a couple of changes with Leo Caulfield and Sean Williamson coming on as Andrew Walker and Josh Hedley were replaced.
Matty Boustead scored a good try cutting through the home defence and Grove converted to bring Park back into the game 20-10.

Category: 1st XV Reports 19/20
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North One East
Percy Park RFC 17 v Morley RFC 23
Constant penalties hurt Park
 
 
As London exchange referee Matt Constant took to the hallowed turf of Preston Avenue on a wet and bitter cold afternoon, all of his southern beliefs about the frozen North must have come to fruition. Penetrating cold, coupled with a persistent miserable drizzle, made the pitch wet and heavy. Even for the most hardened athlete the conditions were challenging. Yet both sides contested, battled and struggled, and in the doing, provided for the supporter an entertaining and captivating game of rugby. A game that ‘ebbed and flowed’ and one, either, side could have won. The difference was probably in the penalty and error count. Park committed many. Morley did not. Although Park outscored the visitors by ‘3 try’s to 2’ when they transgressed Morley ruthlessly took points and managed to keep the scoreboard ticking along and their noses in front…. So how did Percy Park contrive to lose this pulsating contest? 
 
  1. Coach Patton kicks a bucket
  2. Percy Parks resolute spirit wins the day
  3. Park do the loco-motion and derail York
  4. Rain can't dampen Park spirit