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PERCY PARK 5 - 23 ALNWICK

Once again the weather gods weren’t kind to either player or spectator as rain fell on a soggy pitch making for a miserable day unless you were an Alnwick supporter. The Greenfields side had won the earlier fixture at Alnwick and were looking to cement their fourth place in the league. Park were hoping to end run of losses to move well away from the relegation zone in this re-arranged game with the scheduled game on the 9^th January being postponed due to a waterlogged pitch. In the end the visitors prevailed.

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PERCY PARK 3 – 19 POCKLINGTON

After an enforced lay off from rugby due to waterlogged pitches, Percy Park hosted Pocklington who earlier in the season had beaten the home side 23 – 17 at Feathers Field. Pock had already played twice since the Christmas break losing to league leaders Doncaster Phoenix, and winning last week at home to Wheatley Hills, whereas most of the Park squad hadn’t played any rugby for a month, and it showed.

Pocklington were first on the score board on 4 minutes when blind side Matthew Davis went over after securing ball at the back of  a line out 5 metres from the Park line. Nathan Saltmer kicked the tricky conversion attempt from wide right.

Park came close to levelling the score when Davy Kay was stopped short inches from the line close to the goal, and was then penalised by the referee for holding on, a recurrent theme throughout the game.

With 10 minutes gone, Pocklington openside Jack Holborough was sin binned for picking up Sean Williamson and driving him head first to the ground in a ruck, and was very lucky not to have been red carded. Paul Spowart kicked Park’s only points of the game from the resulting penalty.

PERCY PARK 47 – 16 WHITLEY BAY ROCKCLIFF

The torrential rain which began falling non-stop from lunchtime Christmas Day, put paid to any rugby at either Avenue Preston or Lovaine  with all pitches at the coast waterlogged. A few frantic phone calls by Chairman of Rugby Thomas Turnbull to Newcastle Falcons were rewarded with the derby game, taking place at Kingston Park on the 4G pitch. Last minutes messages by email and on the twittersphere meant that some 300 supporters descended on the East stand and they were treated to a decent game of rugby with nothing in it at half time.

Rock kicked off and immediately put Park under pressure, the only time in the first 3 minutes that Percy Park ventured into the Whitley Bay half was when Paul Spowart swooped on a misplaced pass and set off for the try line some 70 metres away. The Park fly half had the legs to make it for the opening try against the run of play but his conversion was off target.

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MORLEY 50 – 15 PERCY PARK

Whoever at the RFU decided that league games should be played on the Saturday before Christmas did no favours to Percy Park, and daresay many other clubs throughout the country. With all the distractions of Christmas shopping, works parties, and other sundry unavailabilities not to mention injuries, Percy Park hit the road to Morley with 15 players as frantic phone calls resulted in the half back pairing from the Lions being snatched and driven south by car to make up a geriatric bench.

Promotion favourites Morley, had lost narrowly in the previous week at the hands of league leaders Doncaster Phoenix, and were looking to end 2015 with a double over Park having won the season home opener at Preston Avenue 21 – 10. With Park missing skipper Andy Dunn and Michael Langlands in the pack and Ricki Hasnip, Ali Blair and Kieran Sutherland in the back line, they were forced into a game of chance in the midfield which sadly turned into a game of Russian roulette with several loaded chambers, as Morley ran in 3 tries in the first 8 minutes.

South African full back Dante Van der Merwe made short work of the heavy conditions as he danced his way through the Park defence for the opening try in the first minute, scores from Richard Knowles and then wing Karl Bradshaw cut the Park defence to shreds as the Morley back line looked as though they would score every time they had the ball in hand.

Park shook off the early onslaught and opened their account with a Paul Spowart penalty before the Maroons scored their bonus point try on 17 minutes as Van der Merwe  scored his second try of the game, which was duly converted by former Leeds Carnegie player Mark Chester.

Things looked even bleaker for the black and whites as a fumbled ball on half way led to a kick through and a fifth try this time by centre Scott Gwynne. Chester converted on 21 minutes the home side were already out of sight at 31 – 3.