MALTON & NORTON 8 – 10 PERCY PARK

This was the first time Percy Park’s 1^st XV had played at Malton & Norton even though it is only an hour and 45 minutes down the road. Malton are the new boys to the North 1 East league having been champions of Yorkshire 1 last season, and have had a mixed season so far, going well until last week’s slip up at Old Crossleyans . Park were looking to carry on the form from last week’s emphatic win against Team Northumbria, although they had to contend with a couple of late changes to the side with Simon Greatham being unavailable due to illness and Zak Appleby Rutter being unable to travel. This allowed Ash Smith to move back into his favoured position at outside centre, and Thomas Turnbull moved to the wing with a late call up and 1^st XV debut for Jonny Ward who started on the bench.

PERCY PARK 67 – 15 TEAM NORTHUMBRIA 

Team Northumbria were given a lesson in forward play as the Park pack dominated the game to give the home side a convincing 67 – 15 win and inflicted the heaviest defeat on the fledgling club in their short league history so far.

Although the conditions were bright and good underfoot, the strong cross wind caused the kickers some problems. Northumbria turned up with a totally changed squad from the season before, which is in part their main problem, that coupled with trying to maintain their BUSA league status in mid-week games. At 31 Greg Dixon for the home side was the oldest player in the starting line-up for either team, and the veteran of 21 seasons at Park, man and boy, turned in a man of the match performance notching 4 tries in the process.

MIDDLESBROUGH 20 – 20 PERCY PARK

The last time Percy Park visited Acklam Park was in the season which saw the home side promoted to North 1 and Park relegated to Durham & Northumberland 1. The aggregate score that season was 125 – 7 to the side in claret and gold, but in the intervening 5 years both sides’ fortunes have changed and they find themselves once again in the same league. So far this season Boro have lost only to league leaders Billingham, and Park have yet to find the form that took them to the play offs earlier in the year. Conditions were near perfect for a game of rugby, a bright sunny day with a breeze and an immaculate pitch with the home side kicking off with the slight slope and wind at their backs.

Both packs had a chance to test themselves in the first 2 minutes and Park showed that it was going to be a tough day for the home pack when they drove them back convincingly in the first scrummage. Boro however had the first chance to score points when Park were penalised for being offside and they elected to kick for goal. Scrum half Peter Wright would no doubt wish to forget his first attempt at goal which missed by some distance, but he made amends 3 minutes later with another penalty opportunity.

Percy Park had a chance to level the scores not long after but chose to kick to the corner. The resulting lineout was a scrappy affair which resulted in a 5 metre scrum and Middlesbrough cleared their lines. Park had a couple of chances to go in front one of which saw Sean Williamson being bundled into touch close to the line.

On 20 minutes a fracas broke out involving several players from both sides. When the dust settled, referee Richard Downing sent both blind side flankers to the sin bin and awarded Middlesbrough a penalty in a kickable position, which Wright missed. Both teams played for the next 16 minutes with 14 players as it seemed the referee had forgotten about the two in the bin, as had everyone else.

PERCY PARK 43 – 14 GATESHEAD

Park continued from where they had left off last week, and apart from a wobble for 10 minutes before the end of the first half can be reasonably pleased with the performance. Gateshead came into the game with only one league win so far this season, and were soon down 5 – 0 from an Ashley Smith try five minutes into the game. Park had turned a Gateshead scrum through 90 degrees and had won a put in, from which Sean Williamson picked up, passed to Ollie Gilmore who then set the back line loose to Phil Morse and Smith then surged through a gap in the defence on the right side of the pitch. Simon Greatham hit the post with his conversion and the ball stayed out.

Most of the early possession was Park’s and when Gateshead were penalised in their own half for being offside, the ball was kicked to touch for the line out rather than taking the shot at goal. The decision proved correct as Andy Dunn found his man in the line and the maul was set then driven 20 yards to the line, with Greg Dixon touching down. For the second time the post came between Simon Greatham’s conversion and the 2 extra points.

Gateshead found it hard to break Park’s grip on the game, and the home side went further ahead on 28 minutes. Ash Smith found himself in space down the right and looked to switch with wing Howard Stock, but was stopped short of the line. The ball was quickly recycled however to Craig Fidler who offloaded to Joe Wafer to score and with the conversion Park now led 17 – 0.

Minutes later Park could have had the bonus point in the bag before half time when a great effort by No 8 Sean Williamson was denied by referee Mick Harris who judged that he had made a double movement in an attempt to get the ball over the line.

At this stage the Park players looked relaxed but a little complacency set in which allowed Gateshead to strike back. Skipper David Tate broke a couple of tackles down the blind side before the burly full back raced over the line to score a try which fly half Johnny Foster converted.