PAPA JOHNS MENS REGIONAL 2 NORTH PLATE FINAL

LUTTERWORTH RFC 34 V PERCY PARK RFC 15

 AT THE DARLINGTON ARENA SATURDAY 6^th MAY 2023

No Hurrah for Park as Lutterworth take the silverplate. 

We couldn’t have asked for a better day. Dry and sunny, perfect for running rugby and for the first half we took advantage. Some of our play was simply brilliant. The conditions suited and we went for it. Lutterworth were on the back foot and it is testament to the Midlands side that they absorbed, dug it out and worked their way on top. Lutterworth deserved their win. At the eighty the scoreline didn’t lie. In sport sometimes you have to acknowledge the better side; well marshalled in defence, strong down the middle and importantly fitter in the final third of the game. Shame we didn’t win but hey ho we had a great campaign and I for one have hugely enjoyed watching our young embryonic side grow into a very good side.

With strong vocal support Percy Park attacked and on three minutes their fast start was rewarded as Lutterworth strayed offside preventing quick ball. An easy penalty and duly taken by Ash Smith. We continued in the same vein akin to an express train. However, our opponents stood up to most of what we threw at them. Eventually we scored a try through the forwards starting with a driving lineout we rumbled over the Lutterworth line. A heap of bodies before Niall Combe emerged the hero. Ash Smith converting. 10 nil to the black and white.

We were looking good and it sounded as if half of North Shields had made the trip south to DMP. We also had a try disallowed; Aaron Smith held up by only the grass underneath him!

We were comfortable at 10-0 but that second score didn’t come. Lutterworth came back strongly and had us on the rack. On 21 minutes Ross Young caught ‘the cheese’. A pass out to the wing, Ross goes for an interception and gathers, but only by the slightest of margins. He couldn’t hold on so he was adjudged to have deliberately knocked the ball on in the red zone. Yellow card and a tad unfortunate. We would have loved it if Ross had caught the ball. Lutterworth were in trouble if he had. There was no one home and I doubt they would have caught him.

Lutterworth made their extra body count. They went to the line out. A neat catch and drive was stopped. Lutterworth’s blind side Kieran Hussey picked up from the base of ruck and powered over from 10 metres. The conversion was missed. 5-10 the score.

The game was quick. Park fell onto the wrong side of the referee giving away two penalty kicks. Neither was taken much to the surprise of the Lutterworth’s travelling support. Their kicker Harry Read usually a deadly shot with a 15 from 15 record prior to the game. The lack of accuracy brought some lively banter from Parks young faithful who questioned whether Harry Read “wanted it”. The response from Lutterworth supporters was immediate “he does want it”. Unfortunately for us Read did want it and proved it by being man of the match with 3 tries!!!

Percy Park were offered an opportunity to extend their lead as Lutterworth’s 8 Piers Golby was handed a yellow for a deliberate knock on. Ash Smith missed the penalty. Our support was silent. Strangely Lutterworth weren’t. On 42 mins Harry Read scored his first try of the game. Converting his own try from wide out. A great effort. 12-10 at the halfway point.

The supporters chat was friendly and lively at the interval with the Lutterworth support confident that their team were going to go on and win, one even offered to put his house on it. Not too sure that my little tarantula would be happy with me if I did that!!...never mind he obviously knew more than me as……

On 46 minutes Ash Smith’s attempt to clear the lines was charged down by Harry Read who ran in to score. Soft try. Fortunately Read missed the conversion.17-10.

Coach Laughlin ran his bench to put fresh legs into the fray. Sam Digman, Michael Birkett and Andrew Walker took to the pitch. The game was even. End to end. You felt the next try would prove to be decisive and so it proved. On 65 minutes Read scored and converted another. 24-10 and Park were chasing the game.

Percy Park weren’t getting the benefit of the referee’s decisions and we fell further behind when Harry Read slotted another penalty to take the score to 27 points to 10. Read wasn’t missing now.  

We kept plugging away. As a side we certainly don’t fold. A catch and drive from a line out produced a classic forwards try with hooker Dan Shuttleworth claiming the points. The conversion was missed. 27 to 15.

As the game marched closer to its finale, we began to tire and on 82 minutes Lutterworth’s number 8 Golby broke through our defensive line to score under the posts. Read converting bringing the game to a close at 34 pints to 15.

Tries just before half time the charge down and a try at the death made the score line more flattering but Lutterworth were definitely the better side – no complaints. Their offloads and direct running better than ours with us making one too many unforced errors with passes going behind the player rather than running onto it.

Coach Keith Laughlin had mixed feelings about the game but great hope for the future

"Yesterday was a little strange, I’m quietly content with where we are at as I’m looking further afield than just a cup run. As mentioned, a few weeks ago this gave us a great opportunity to develop our gameplan. Winning the final would have been icing on the cake but it wasn’t meant to be. We have a few more layers to bake first.

We had our legs taken from underneath us a few times yesterday with dubious refereeing decisions and this knocked the stuffing out of us in the second half. I’m not one to blame the ref for losing, this isn’t why we lost. Head knocks and tip tackles, with no players leaving the field for review or sanctions just can’t be cast aside when the game is in uproar with RFU protocols lowering tackle height to minimise these scenarios.

I’ve loved coaching this season and its testament to the players buying in to what Ash has put in place. We won 15 games in 17 since November and it shows we can compete at the tight end of the league next year."

Our First team manager Paul Jobson reflected eloquently on our campaign:

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the end of our season. 5 games, 3 bus trips and a final at the end of it. It wasn’t our day but my goodness they gave it everything they had. I don’t think any of us knew what we were getting into, with murmurings of discontent about not entering the County Cup. But our Coach made a great decision, he believed we could get to the final and game by game that belief grew amongst the lads and by the time we reached the final the whole club was excited, we were going to DMP!! Unfortunately, our opponents hadn’t appeared to have as tough a competition as us. They seemed to blow their opponents away and had only conceded 5 points in the 4 games. We on the other hand we’re out on our feet after last week’s outstanding performance at Birkenhead. Our rugby last week was great to watch, I would’ve loved playing in that side, what a win that was. Should the RFU have given a Rest week to watch the Coronation? If they had, I think we would’ve won!”

“15-34 didn’t reflect the game. We were better than that. But the opposition were just better on the day. We wanted it, but so did they and they just had a little bit more than us.

In the huddle, Coach Ash Smith spoke with great clarity, emotion and threw down a challenge to the lads about getting promoted and coming back and winning this thing. If they don’t accept then it will be a real shame. They have grown as individuals and as a team over the season. It has been wonderful to be a part of it. I think our coaches are doing a fantastic job , they complement each other perfectly , but more importantly the lads have bought into what they are asking them to do.Roll on next season.”

If we are fortunate to be back next year something needs to improve. The RFU hospitality was a shambles, and is something they need to reflect upon, no meet and greet and food put out at 1 minute before kick-off. None of our travelling alikados and supporters were able to mix or join the hospitality with our Lutterworth counterparts. A missed opportunity to meet as both of our clubs were founded in 1872 and were celebrating their 150^th season. We had alot to talk about. Mind one of our supporters was happy to miss the start of the game to get a piece of cake…some things never change.

Many Many thanks to all who supported on the day ...once Black and White always Black and White!

Representing Percy Park RFC

From 15: Jamie Wrigley, Howard Stock, Seb Reece, Paul Spowart, Ross Young, Ash Smith, and Tom Robinson

From 8: Michael Langlands, Jonny Dubois, Niall Combe, Josh Hedley, Chris Reekie, Tristan Grant, Dan Shuttleworth and Aaron Smith.

Finishers: Joe Cassidy, Eddie Saint, Andrew Walker, Michael Birkett, Sam Digman, Andy Dunn and Adam Hay.

 

 

National ‘Papa John’s’ Community Plate Competition

Regional 2 Plate North Round Two

Percy Park RFC 41 v Rochdale RUFC 22

A glorious 80 minutes from Tank takes Park to Birkenhead

Rochdale came across the Pennines quietly confident. The faithful looked to the skies. Scudding black clouds and a persistent energy sapping rain did not set the scene to provide a classic home performance. It was a really manky day. It’s no secret; Percy Park prefers a running pitch. Gluttonous mud can often aid the away side and as the sides took to the pitch the chat on the side-lines was all about the drizzle. Could the weather aid ‘Dale’? Could the Lancashire side translate their quiet confidence into victory winning points? The answer arrived after 20 minutes of sussing each other out. Rochdale were blown away by a spirited and ruthless Percy Park. Chris Reekie led from the front and put in some tremendous hits. The stage was set and Park refused to let go of the game. Game management and clinical execution brought warm praise from Coach Keith Laughlin:

“On a day which was the opposite of last week and therefore, on paper, should be a more difficult day to execute our gameplan I thought we were outstanding. To score 41 points and still have a half assed effort in last twenty minutes excites me for next week. Some of our attacking play, to put it through the hands, combined with the lines of running off the ball was very good. Defensive work was pleasing from a system point of view where a couple of individual errors let us down which we will touch on this week in training. But these small mistakes were overshadowed by a glorious 80 minutes from Christopher Reekie. There is a prime example of a quietly spoken man doing all his talking by hitting people that I can only imagine is at the same force of a Fiat 500 knocking you over at 30 mph.

The gallery will love the tries being scored but I loved the defensive sets for phases, little things off the ball which we have put into practice this season to create a strong foundation to set these scores up. A lot to look forward to and be confident with for a trip to Birkenhead.”

The opening minutes were brutal. Knockout competition raises the stakes and Rochdale took the fight to the home side. Players were flying into the rucks. One or two exchanges had the referee looking without going to the card. Rochdale played a miss move in centre field. Dale came through the line with Ash Smith receiving a nasty bump under his left eye. The play went to the ruck until Percy Park were penalised for a high tackle. An easy strike for Rochdale. Penalty taken. Dale ahead by three. Encouraged they came on. Hard hits from Josh Hedley, Paul Spowart and Chris Reekie had the away side rocked back on their heels. Dale could find no way past an organised Park side. Momentum swung and Percy Park went on the offense.

Rochdale were up quick with a rush defence. Percy kept the ball and whittled away Rochdale’s energy. Probing kicks and astute use of the penalty from player coach Ash Smith took Percy Park to the line out. A nice nudge placing Percy Park well within the away sides 22. The faithful knew the script. A clean catch and we were on the drive. With the ‘pedal to the metal’ we were over. The move was quick and Rochdale couldn’t prevent hooker Dan Shuttleworth from notching the score. The conversion missed. 5 points to 3.

The game was furious and entertaining to watch. A Michael Langlands tackle followed by a great work by Chris Reekie to get over the ball bought a penalty chance. Ash Smith had a look. The strike was within range and the points were duly taken. 8 points to 3 and Park were in their stride. And what a stride. From the restart fast ball and overlapping players working hard stretched the defence. Jonny Dubois raced forward before off loading to the supporting Tom Robinson. The young scrum half had work to do. Head down he went for the line. Swift feet taking him over for a fantastic team try. The conversion missed. 13 points to 3. For the first time in the game Rochdale heads went down.

Encouragement came from the large travelling support. It was to no avail. Tactically Rochdale had lost control. They couldn’t clear the ball from their red zone and any meaningful possession was kicked away as the ball carrier was placed under pressure. We won’t mention Jamie Wrigley’s failure to off load the ball as an undefended try line went begging.

A knock on (or about) Rochdale’s 22 gave Park another chance. A Langlands pick up and out had the home side running numerous dummy lines. As a consequence, a gap opened up and Ash Smith gladly took advantage to stride through and score, Try converted 20 points to 3 and we believed there was no way back for the visiting side. Rochdale tried. Probing our touch line as we erred on the offside. Percy Park absorbed and kept the Lancashire side out. We were a little eager with the front foot and Jonny Dubois felt the referee’s frustration taking a team yellow. Half time beckoned. Rochdale elected to run the ball rather than taking the three points on offer. The move broke down with a poor pass. Park ushering the ball in touch. Frustrated the Rochdale lock throw and arm and a little flare up took us into the turnaround and a warning to both sides from the referee.

The halftime whistle had ‘our’ Robin’s partner heading home for a change of clothes. Enjoying much needed time off with pint in hand the young surgeon was waxing lyrical on how cute scrum half Tom Robinson looked when she was struck in the midriff by a clearing kick. The hard-earned pint cascaded over clothing. Jobba jogged over with towel in hand. What a gentleman we thought rescuing a damsel in need. We should have known better. Jobba collected and wiped the ball clean before handing the pill to Dan Shuttleworth for the throw in; leaving poor Emma covered in Brians best Atlantic beer. A little chuckle and he was off. All I can say is that I’m glad Jobba is no longer on the NHS waiting list for his new hip!!

Fourteen men didn’t phase Park. They hit the second half quickly with two ‘quick fire’ tries. First over was prop Aaron Smith with a thunderous ‘pick and go’ closely followed by Ash Smith with a mazy weave to the line. Both tries converted and Park were ahead by 34 points to 3. It really wasn’t Rochdale’s day. knock ons, mis placed passes and poor decision-making life difficult.

Their MOM Edward ‘Eddie’ Shanks was trying to carry his team forward. Then he was hit by the Reekie Rocket. The hit heard on Tynemouth beach. Shanks bounced to his feet and sportingly congratulated his opponent. Some tackle and drew the comparison to ‘Tank’ driving a Fiat 500; however, I doubt he would fit in one! Certainly, an impressive moment in the game that had Captain Seb Reece naming the second row as a ‘Taker of souls.’

Coach Laughlin ran the bench at the end of the yellow and we were back up to 15. A slice of fortune brought Rochdale forlorn hope. A speculative punt over the rush defence and a favourable bounce gave the Rochdale ‘10’ the ball. Our full back was up and made a super tackle. The ball went forward. An obvious knock on. Play continued as Rochdale flooded Parks try line. I thought we had the ball but it slipped out of grasp and Rochdale touched down to score. Their effort converted.

As the rain deluged Park became a little sloppy and our penalty count went slightly north. Percy Park stuck at it and brought the ball in front of the Rochdale posts. A good scrum had Dale rocked on the slippery surface. Tom Robinson flipped the ball to his right with Seb Reece crashing over to score. Duly converted the score stood at 41 to 10.

With the margin high Park didn’t maintain their high standards. The conditions were miserable and as Keith Laughlin suggested we got a “half assed effort” in the final 20 minutes. Not surprisingly Rochdale took advantage. They are a good side and as our individual errors let them back in. Overall, our penalty count was 17 to Rochdale’s 6. Dale took the points on offer finishing the contest on a 41 to 22 scoreline. At the whistle nobody hung around on the pitch or on the side of it. Hot showers and a warmer were the order of the day. Honestly the weather was dire!

Representing Percy Park RFC

From 15: Jamie Wrigley, Howard Stock, Seb Reece, Ross Young, Tom Robinson, Toby Davison and Charley Miller

From 8: Leo Caulfield, Jonny Dubois, Andy Dunn, Josh Hedley, Michael Langlands, Chris Reekie, Dan Shuttleworth and Aaron Smith.

Finishers: Niall Combe, Paul Spowart and Adam Hay.

National ‘Papa John’s’ Community Plate Competition

Regional 2 Plate North Round Two

Vale of Lune RUFC 17 v Percy Park RFC 26

Super moment from Spow wins the day

As the game spiralled into the final breath-taking ten minutes the game was tight. Percy Park led by two points and Vale of Lune were pressing. The contest was absorbing. For the neutral a great game to watch. For the home supporter it was nerve wrecking. For the visiting faithful seriously exciting. We felt victory was in the air and of our making. Park wrestled the ball free and attacked the home 22. A high tackle floored Jonny Dubois. He stayed down as a Vale forward was shown a yellow card. Groans from the stand. A home supporter went into melt down. Eight minutes to go and Park looked for a hero. The ball spun to the right to find the rushing Paul Spowart. With a strong grip ‘on the pill’ Spowart drove through and bounced off several attempted tackles to score wide right in the corner. The faithful were jubilant. The score took us to seven clear and we needed the conversion to create a two-score margin for the 14 men of the Vale to chase. The kick was from out wide and difficult. Spowart took time on the placing. The melt down to my right went atomic. Tension. A deeply drawn hush cascaded across the ground as Spowart walked back and set himself. As the player approached and confidently struck the ball there was an audible exhale. The ball sailed between the posts. Spowart converting his own try. Diggas watched and up went his flag, closely followed by the home linesman. A roar from the away side. 17 to 26. Park were home with 4 minutes to go. Silence enveloped the Powder House Lane ground. We knew it and so did they. A super moment from Spow had won the day.

Percy Park arrived decked in spring sunshine which lit up the beautifully manicured pitch at Powder House Lane, Lancaster. Hasty comparisons were made with our own Preston Avenue pitch and as a consequence the esteemed author of this column entered the clubhouse with earache. We were met with an apology. The barbeque wasn’t fired and that lunch would be liquid. As the hospitality flowed a granola breakfast was struggling to contain. My esteemed colleague from Vale was having the same issue and by kick off was unable to separate South from North Shields. To make matters worse a tall Park grandee admitted that he had received ‘tips’ off Henry Coopers wife!

We started quickly and were unlucky not to be awarded an early try with Dan ‘Fish’ Shuttleworth was adjudged not to have grounded the ball. Vale shook off the poor start and for the opening quarter provided the greater threat. Fly half Toby Davison kept Park in the game with three try saving tackles.

The deadlock was broken after fifteen minutes as Park drifted offside giving Vale by a penalty kick on the 22. A kick taken by their centre Chris Ramwell. Three nil to the home side. We responded well with some strong carries from our forwards. We continued to press. Tying in the defence before releasing our back line. In truth we wasted several good opportunities to score. Our lineout and set play were, generally, going well but we couldn’t execute. One penalty to the corner took us to their line. And what did we do.....butchered the line out. Vale attacked off our poor ball and with some aplomb. Only a last-ditch tackle from Jamie Wrigley brought their lightening attack to an end. We continued to press. We had the edge. From a quick penalty we created a three man overlap. Jamie Wrigley wide on the left. Outmanoeuvred and out numbered Vale could only watch as Jamie scored under the posts. Paul Spowart converting.

Tom Robinson was having an influence at scrum half. His darting runs ‘in and around’ the fringes was causing the home side consternation. A poor scrum on the half way line proved to be our undoing. Somehow Vale had their hands on the ball. Two quick and sharp passes had Vale full back Ben Walker crossing the line. The try converted as we headed into the half time huddle. Vale ahead by 10 points to seven.

During the interval Coach Keith Laughlin worked his magic and Park came out fighting. The interval chat had given the away side an extra step. The faithful’s chat was equally interesting as we heard that Josh Hedley’s mum and Dad had been away on holiday whale watching with Julie having difficulty in determining who was 'what'!.

Percy Park had determined space out wide and were keen to exploit. Only a dubious call from ‘Digga the linesmen’ prevented Park a promising start to the half. Not to be denied Tom Robinson was the beneficiary of some outstanding work from Ross Young. Attacking the space Ross drew in defenders. Unable to bring the player to ground we were behind and alive. The ball moved and Robinson was over in a flash. Park at their ruthless best. Unfortunately, we couldn’t convert. 10 points to 12.

We continued to carry and harry. Park were enjoying their moment and it was not long before Ross Young was causing further mayhem. We went to the ruck and then it was all about the line and delivery. Tom Robinson set Park away. Really fast passes put wing Howard Stock in space. Our speedy wing made sure crossing unopposed and under the posts to score. An easy conversion. Park ahead by 9 points.

Rattled and knowing this was knockout rugby Vale dug deep. Some astute coaching brought a rejig to their line. Keeping the ball in the forwards Vale restricted Park from playing. Their full back was having a major influence with some knowledgeable kicking.

Their riposte was superb. Vale carried to our try line. They held on and picked before substitute Sam Walton crossed claiming his first ever try for the Vale first team. The try was converted despite my assurances that the ball would be ‘hooked’. We had ourselves a two-point game. The atmosphere was tense. The tie absorbing. Knockout rugby at its best.

The game entered the final quarter. Vale knocked on and let Park off the hook. The Vale scrum half became too eager giving away territory as he repeatedly crept off side. A promising move came to naught as Josh Hedley, attempting to take a pass on his bootlaces, knocked on. The game ebb and flowed and then we were into the final two minutes and that moment.

 

Vale of Lunes second row Joe Harrison, who had been the Vale's most effective forward, went high on Dubois. The home crowd disagreed. Years ago, that would have been classed as a ‘great hit’ but times have changed and in the opinion of the referee, the second row saw yellow. The home support vehemently disagreed especially a gentleman to my right.

Down to fourteen men, the Vale defended and we attacked. Especially ‘that man’ Spowart. His try putting the game out of reach. A great performance by Percy Park that brought some praise and reflections for games ahead from Coach Keith Laughlin

“Overall super positive as we created ample opportunities to score. We had no idea what to expect and I was very pleased how we started the game. We have been working on our shape in open play as well as working off the ball in transition and this was evident yesterday with our shape and kick return creating aforementioned opportunities. Some of the defensive effort was pleasing to watch but a couple of lapses in concentration to stay connected and wrestling rather than chopping gave them easy yards and led to a couple of their tries.”

Representing Percy Park RFC

From 15: Jamie Wrigley, Howard Stock, Seb Reece, Ross Young, Tom Robinson, Toby Davison and Charley Miller

From 8: Leo Caulfield, Jonny Dubois, Andy Dunn, Josh Hedley, Michael Langlands, Chris Reekie, Dan Shuttleworth and Aaron Smith.

Finishers: Niall Combe, Paul Spowart and Adam Hay.

On a final note, I have to say that many of the faithful take a great deal of effort to be ‘sharp as a dart’ and it has to be said taking Compo and Clegg to Vale raised an eyebrow or two. I am sure that this, along with the liquid lunch, can only be the reason why the Vale think we come from South Shields because dressed like that who can blame them!

Talking of shockers. Our Toby misplaced his lap top on the bus and left his keys in the changing room at Park. Not the best thing you can do when your tired, worse the wear and needing to get up for work at 6:30 in the morning.....never again he says that is until the the third round!

National ‘Papa John’s’ Community Plate Competition

Regional 2 Plate North

Percy Park RFC 28 v Scarborough RUFC 23

Miller causes a flutter as Park enter the second-round draw.

Percy Park edged an entertaining game. Although we lead for the majority it was never a done deal. Even the final kick (or was that the final attempted kick) provided consternation in the crowd as the Scarborough charge down placed the ball in no mans land and a race to possession. Possession would give the receiver the ability to end the game or score a try. The foot race was won by Park narrowly beating the Scarborough ‘6’ to the ball. The pick and pass to player coach Ash Smith was dispatched to the touch line with a banana slice that was almost caught by the oncoming Scarborough wing. The visiting wing swore and so did the crowd! A breathless end to a highly enjoyable game that had all the thrills and spills of knockout competition.

Our final league position determined which competition or format Percy Park entered. That being Cup, Plate or Bowl, pool or straight knockout. The Regional 2 Plate competition is knockout comprising of 32 teams. All sounds great but here is the whinge. When we entered this National Competition all the clubs expected a round robin where you were guaranteed one or more games; and at least a home fixture. For some reason that didn’t transpire in the plate competition meaning victory ensured your season remained competitive and the loss meant an early bath and a shortened playing campaign. A subject that was eagerly discussed pre- and post-match. More so post-match as Scarborough began to contemplate the loss of revenue the defeat brought. Owning a healthy home support this competition would have assured Scarborough a big crowd and a hearty sponsors lunch. The loss of a home fixture and the cost of a bus up-to Percy Park has seen a significant financial loss. I am sure this is not what the RFU intended but it is the reality of the format they have elected to play. Needs more thought if this competition will prove viable and attractive for clubs to enter. At the heart of everything is revenue. A hard cold fact but it is the dollar that ensures survival in today’s tough financial times.

Ash Smith opened the scoring with a well taken penalty. A fast and furious start had both teams launching into the fray. No quarter was asked or given. Prop Aaron Smith had an outstanding opening period knocking down all in front and winning ball. I’m not sure what was said in the warm up but it had certainly captured Aaron Smith. Both teams were disciplined in their approach but as the game went to the ‘furious’ one had to err and that was Scarborough. Caught offside as Park pressed the try line. First blood to the home side.

Undeterred Scarborough led by the very impressive William Rennard at blind side retrieved the ball at the restart and through some tidy possession play attracted a penalty kick of their own. Ross Young penalised for not releasing the player. Significant advantage was given but the away side could not capitalise. Back to the penalty and duly taken. Three a piece. It has to be said that the flowing locks of the Scarborough six did not go unnoticed by a tall Percy Park alikado who of late has been watching too many historical Viking dramas. The constant reference to Ragnar Lothbruk and Valhalla was worrying. Being born in Sunderland is the only excuse I can think of.

The game was hard fought. The watching faithful believed if we kept the ball up front we could edge the contest. And so, it proved with Josh Hedley leading the catch and drive with a slimmer forward receiving the ball at the back to touch down for the try. Visibility was reducing as a grey blanket of fine rain soaked the pitch and supporter. I’m just not sure who got over but I think it might have been Paul Spowart as he joined the drive unseen from the technical area. Scarborough were the architects of their doom as a defending player did not make an attempt to roll away denying scrum half Charley Miller quick ball. Easy penalty and one that Ash Smith took to the corner. Catch and drive. Job done. The conversion missed.

Our second score was a good one. The game was end to end. Parks initial superiority in the scrum had been nullified insuring that the set piece was going to possession. Charley Miller was having a cracking game as he drove his team forward and exploited space around him. Percy Park were knocking at the door testing Scarborough’s defence. Miller saw a gap and an accidental head collision brought the game to a stop. More of a head to nose with the Scarborough player bouncing back. Percy Park worked the back of the scrum really well moving the ball to Captain Seb Rees who was loitering wide on the right. Very good team try. Unfortunately, the conversion was missed. Score stood at 13 points to 3.

Scarborough fought back. Ragnar was causing Park all sorts of problems with his direct running. Scarborough’s 15 and 9 were asking questions. Referee Paul Minto was having a good game. Quick on the whistle meant the players responded in kind. The game was fast. The ball was being thrown around and it was a great watch. A last-ditch tackle from Charley Miller, beneath our posts, prevented the visiting William Mann from scoring off a penalty advantage. Percy Park caught offside as they tried to close space from a defensive line. Paul Minto brought Scarborough back to the penalty. An easy shot that brought the first half scoring to a close at 13 points to 3.

Park had their opportunities to extend the lead. Jamie Wrigley was causing problems ranging from his wing at 11. When we got into the red zone, we couldn’t make it pay. A line out move didn’t work out when a return to the catch and drive might have brought a more fruitful result. Not to worry Park ahead at the break.

Scarborough came out flying. The introduction of Ropeti-Ropeti into the visiting pack provided some muscle. Percy Park were held in their 22 and offended twice in quick succession. Each occasion being penalised for being offside. With advantage Scarborough came to the line. Percy Park’s defence was really good. Scarborough were tied in. The deadlock broken by a long looping pass to the right wing who displayed real strength to hold back Toby Davison as our full back endeavoured to prevent him from scoring. Reinforced the winger was over for the try. The conversion missed. 13-11.

The restart saw referee Minto clattered by Jonny Dubois as the player made a beeline for the ball. Play was held up as our arbitrator enjoyed a back rub off the Scarborough physio. Our Caroline not wanting to place her hands on the Northumberland referee’s skin. Deep heat sorted the issue and we carried on.

We entered a period when we really struggled to contain Scarborough. Their hooker marginally went offside. Tight call but it gave Park the penalty in the middle of the field and the opportunity to kick for touch, turning defence into attack. Scarborough failed to hold Josh Hedley at the line out and we were on it. The visitors barely containing Percy Parks back line. The ball went to the line out then the ruck. Prop Aaron Smith using his bulk to crash over. Converted 20 points to 11

Our next score was worth the admission money alone. Arguably one of the best tries we have seen this season. Again, Scarborough were pressing and again they infringed by going off their feet in the ruck. Ash Smith took the opportunity to calm the game down by taking time to instruct Toby Davison to take the ‘free’ kick. The ball was placed downfield to the line out. We went infield and a disguised pass from Josh Hedley had Jamie Wrigley screaming through the line. Pace and strength brushed off several tackles. Wrigley was behind the defensive line. The crowd were on their toes and our linesman Jobba had broken into a rare sprint to catch up. The offload to Leo Caulfield was class yet the pass inside from Caulfield to Toby Davison was better. The pass taking out all the cover giving Toby the easiest of ‘touch-downs’. Great try and, thankfully, Leo elected to pass rather than kicking the ball into the corner. Conversion missed. 25 to 11.

Scarborough had to reply and they knew it. Time was not on their side. They came flying at Park and we had to defend. We didn’t help matters with a knock on and several infringements allowing the pressure to stay on. Scarborough’s ‘8’, and Captain, Andrew Govier was having an influence. From the back of a scrum and finding no defence Govier ran toward our posts unimpeded. Scoring the easiest of tries. Converted to take the score 25 points to 18.

Hooker Dan Shuttleworth saved his teams blushes as he put in a tremendous match saving tackle under our posts. The hit hurt and he took the knee. This time our Caroline put hands to skin which brought her a quizzical’ Why not me?’ look from Mr Minto. The tackle turned over ball and we made our way up the field toward the Scarborough line to bag a penalty shot at goal. Ash Smith taking the valuable 3 points. 28-18. Less than 8 to go.

In an attempt to speed up the game a Scarborough assistant was up and down the pitch wiping the mud off the match ball ensuring better grip for his team at the set piece. Such was the need for speed he took a pass from one of his own players right in the kisser. Fortunately, he saw the funny side. Had to really as there wasn’t much sympathy coming his way other than a wincing ‘OOHH’ and peals of laughter.

Scarborough hit hard and went through the phases. We gave ground and penalties. The away side kept the ball alive. Andrew Govier broke through once more and darted to our line. Shouts came from the touch line encouraging our players to get across. Everybody watching had bought in. We needed a tackle. Charley Miller got across aided by Seb Rees. Govier went down but the ball stayed alive with Ragnar flying through a static defence to score. Talk about drama. It was annoying but the score made the contest all that more absorbing……for the neutral. The drama gave the faithful palpitations. Would have preferred a clear run but, hey-ho this is Percy Park and I should expect nothing but drama. The conversion was missed 28 to 23.

Minutes to go and one score in it. Boy did it get frantic. From the restart Scarborough went offside by playing the ball in front. Game Management was the call and from a line out we harried the line moving the ball infield. Last play was called. Securing our ball Charley Miller went to kick the ball onto Preston Avenue. Ragnar extended a huge hand and charged the ball down into no man’s land. Howard Stock won the race. Percy Park wrapped around the ball. Scarborough players went flying aided by a push or two. Scarborough’s 7 went offside. Smith went to the pocket and on the whistle quickly kicked the ball to touch. The Scarborough wing reading his intentions took a punt and nearly, very nearly, caught the ball. Thankfully he didn’t. Game over Park through to the next round….. both teams hugged each other on the final whistle knowing that they had taken part in a cracking game of rugby

Representing Percy Park:

From 15: Toby Davison, Howard Stock, Seb Rees, Ross Young, Jamie Wrigley, Ash Smith and Charley Miller

From 8: Leo Caulfield, Jonny Dubois, Andy Dunn, Michael Langlands, Josh Hedley, Tristan Grant, Dan Shuttleworth and Aaron Smith

Finishers: Paul Spowart, Adam Hay and Lucas Rowell.