Percy Park 32 - 13 Driffield

 

 

I was trying to think up a snappy title for this week’s match report – “Three in a row”, or “Battling Park preserve North 1 league status”. Then at the “End of Season Party” to see several of the 1^st XV on the dance floor led by Scotty, in a line with right arms swinging in the air, facing the band and singing Journey’s power ballad, it came to me in a flash, and fair brought a tear to the eye.

Seeing so many players there from all the sides, but all the 1^st XV players to a man, supporting a club function was great and showed the true spirit of the club,(ok Fidler was baby-sitting) but his mam and dad were there!

Anyway back to the game. Park started at a rare pace, and spent the first 10 minutes or so camped in the visitors half, until they were awarded a penalty which Rutter kicked to open his account. Lee Birch for Driffield responded with a penalty of his own then on 21 minutes the pacey young centre, scored an excellent individual try carving his way through the Park backline to score under the posts and then kicked the conversion to give his side a 10 – 3 lead.

Park showed their bouncebackabilty with the double over Rovers and back to back wins in successive weeks, to momentarily lift the spectre of relegation. In a keenly contested match which proved a little firery at times, Park held out to win 22 - 29. The games between Park and Rovers are always close affairs as the 16 - 11 home win earlier in the season can testify.

Darlington 12 – 22 Percy Park

Park were back almost to full strength and were able to make several changes to the side that lost away to Carlisle the previous week. Andy Dunn made a welcome return to the side at hooker, with Ian Elliot, Michael Langlands and Greg Dixon also returning to strengthen the pack. In the backs the two Marcuses, Rutter and Turner returned at full back and centre.

Carlisle 30 – 10 Percy Park

Carlisle’s win moves them out of the relegation zone, and puts Park firmly in the mire. As the curtain draws on the season, Percy Park have four games remaining in which to put some wins together to ensure they stay in North One East next season. With two more away games in the following two weeks, next Saturday’s game is a must win fixture for the boys in black and white.

Park made several enforced changes to the regular side with several Lions players coming into the squad for the trip to Warwick Road. Carlisle had lost the encounter at Preston Avenue early in the season when the fixture was moved to North Shields due to the Cumbrian floods, but even in defeat they looked a useful outfit, and on Saturday proved too strong for a makeshift Park team.

The home side started well with a penalty by Weightman on two minutes, and the Carlisle fly half had a chance to double the score two minutes later but hooked his kick wide of the uprights. The early exchanges were all Carlisle and in the first quarter Park rarely ventured out of their own half.