Regional Two North

Saturday 9 September 2023, KO 3pm

Cockermouth 10 Percy Park 47

(HT: 10-21)

Blistering Dubois sets the tone

Percy Park travelled to West Cumbria for their second league outing of the season on Saturday to take on newly promoted Cockermouth, securing a comprehensive 10-47 victory in extremely challenging conditions. They played some exhilarating rugby at times, scoring seven tries in an excellent all round performance and, as a consequence, they now sit proudly at the summit of Regional Two North, albeit with just two games played! There were several changes from last week's opening win against Northern; Toby Davison replaced the unavailable Jamie Wrigley at full back, Ash Smith moved to centre to accommodate debutant Fergus Simpson at outside half, Tristan Grant came into the front row to allow Sam Digman to move to flanker in place of the unavailable Mickey Fisher and finally, Joe Thompson made his debut in the back row in place of the injured Michael Langlands. Luke Foster also made his Park debut from the replacements bench and it must be said, all three debutants made very positive contributions.

On a stiflingly hot day, the BBC had the temperature at 26 degrees at kick-off, with very little breeze, Cockermouth kicked off in the shadow of Skiddaw and the very picturesque Northern Lakes. An immediate Park knock-on led to the first scrum within 40 seconds of the start, made worse by an immediate scrum penalty awarded to the hosts which was successfully kicked by centre Daniel Woodcock on 3 minutes, (3-0)

As the game restarted, a high tackle on debutant Fergus Simpson allowed Ash Smith to clear his lines with a fine kick into the opposition 22. With Park’s lineout adjudged not straight, Cockermouth secured quick ball from the scrum and moved quickly right and only an excellent covering tackle by wing Ross Young prevented an early Cockermouth try. The hosts were on the front foot in the early exchanges but after a promising break, started from the base of a scrum by Park No 8 James Black, was stopped illegally, Park were able to kick to within 5 metres of the try line. From the resultant line out, centre Ash Smith and stand-off Simpson combined beautifully to send the Park No 10 jinking in for the try with Smith converting. 11 minutes played. (3-7)

Cockermouth responded almost immediately, with a good forward drive stopped midway in the Park half. Quick ball saw the Cockermouth stand-off Gate spot the gap in the Park defence which he accelerated through to touch down just to the left of the posts on 14 minutes for an excellent try which centre Woodcock duly converted. (10-7).

With the first quarter of the game not yet completed it was Park’s turn to respond at once; from the restart, a Cockermouth infringement (high tackle) led quickly to an Ash Smith cross kick which was expertly gathered by left wing Ross Young who went in for the try, converted by Smith on 18 minutes. (10-14). A well deserved water break ensued.

The lead had changed hands four times in the first 20 minutes but then, galvanised by their second try, Park began to move through the gears. Excellent carries from Aaron Smith, Ross Young and Chris Reekie put pressure on the Cockermouth defence only for handling errors to halt momentum. The hosts, on the other hand, relied on their pack to get them moving forward but all too often the Park 8 were equal to the challenge. Park were searching for the next score and on 28 minutes thought that it had duly arrived only for a Howard Stock try to be ruled out, seemingly for an offside offence but the visitors were not to be denied; 5 minutes later, the Park forced a 5 metre lineout and the resultant catch and drive saw hooker Jonny Dubois score to the left of the posts. Smith converted. (10-21). As in the game last week, the Percy Park forwards began to assert their authority as the first half progressed, dealing with the large Cockermouth pack well, and this allowed the Park three-quarters good ball to work with. As the half ended, strong running from Toby Davison and Ross Young put the visitors into good positions but the half ended with no further score.

HT: Cockermouth 10, Percy Park 21

Percy Park moved further ahead within 3 minutes of the restart, a Cockermouth infringement being ruthlessly punished. The forwards drove into opposition territory, Chris Reekie to the fore, before the backs were released. It looked as if the move had broken down after a wayward pass but centre Paul Spowart somehow held onto the ball allowing fullback Davison to finish off an excellent team try to the right of the posts. Try bonus point earned with Ash Smith converting. (10-28)

The following 10 minutes saw several Park infringements allow Cockermouth some meaningful possession; a Woodcock ‘show and go’ looked promising but excellent Park defence snuffed out the danger. However, a further offence on their own 22 allowed Cockermouth the opportunity to apply pressure by kicking the resultant penalty to the corner. The lineout throw was botched and away came Jonny Dubois on the charge. He was only stopped by a high tackle, the penalty being taken quickly. The ball was moved quickly right to replacement centre Seb Reece whose inside pass sent Ash Smith in to score to the right of the posts. In an instant Park had gone almost the length of the field to score! Smith converted his own try. 52 minutes played. (10-35)

Cockermouth continued to play through their forwards but Park were able to turn over possession and scrum-half Drew Walker made several excellent clearing kicks. Replacements and injuries disrupted the momentum of both sides. For Park, Luke Foster came into the back row to make his debut and was quickly involved, tackling and carrying well. With Park very much in the ascendancy, the next try, on 68 minutes, seemed inevitable. The Percy Park back line again showed real quality and intent, slick passing from Spowart, Smith and Young putting hooker Dubois in at the right corner. A beaming Jonny shouted ‘don't forget to mention my blistering pace’ at yours truly on the touchline. The word ‘trundle’ is probably more appropriate but it cannot be denied that our former captain was there to take the scoring pass, with a brace on the day! The conversion was missed. (10-40).

It was no surprise that with the heat, the game slowed down but Park had one last hurrah, Ash Smith going over under the posts with just minutes to go. He converted his own try. (10-47)

To their immense credit, our hosts never gave up and in stoppage time a fantastic charging run from one of the props (apologies to the player, my view was temporarily blocked) nearly brought a deserved consolation try but he was hauled down just short of the Park try line and the chance was lost.

FT: Cockermouth 10, Percy Park 47

Credit must go to both sides for an excellent game of rugby played in brutally hot conditions. We even saw a dodgy hat displayed on a shaply dome.

A very quiet bus home; no stops with the players a tad tired! Again the new tackle laws were refereed well with players adapting and in the two games played thus far this season, appear to have had no negative impact on the rugby played so perhaps the pessimists were wrong after all!

Next Saturday, Park welcome Keswick to Preston Avenue, KO 3pm.

Percy Park: 15 Toby Davison; 14 Howard Stock ©; 13 Paul Spowart; 12 Ash Smith; 11 Ross Young; 10 Fergus Simpson; 9 Andrew Walker; 8 James Black; 7 Joe Thompson; 6 Sam Digman; 5 Chris Reekie; 4 Josh Hedley; 3 Tristan Grant; 2 Jonny Dubois; 1 Aaron Smith

Replacements; Marc Cook; Seb Reece; Luke Foster

With thanks to Ken 'Flying Squad' Bell for the write up and Julie Photos for the photos!!

Regional Two North

Percy Park RFC 39 v Northern RFC 12

Park provide all the colour in a dominant display.

With barely a scudding cloud in the sky Percy Park took to the manicured lawns of Preston Avenue (I understand there is a petition going around to rename Preston Avenue as Sanderson Lawns) in bright but unforgiving sunshine. The bustling and eager faithful were adorned in flat caps and knotted handkerchiefs on what was a glorious day by the coast. Our Northern colleagues joined the growing festival feeling by decorating the ground in their colourful deck chair blazers and straw hats whilst supping large glasses of iced gin from bulbous glasses. You certainly have to admire a ‘city boys’ standout style of elan and panache when mixed with the industrial working tones of real Tyneside folk. That colourful plume was replicated as the teams stepped onto the hallowed turf. Northern decked in red white and blue with Percy Park striped in gritty black and white. As the game unfolded the colour of the shirt told the lie as Percy Park provided all the colour with a free flowing game of rugby, earned by a hardworking and aggressive pack, that most definitely put Northern to the sword.

Pre-match, there had been much discussion in the Clubhouse regarding the new tackle laws and their possible negative effect but to the great credit of the players (from both sides), the coaches and, it must be said, the excellent refereeing by Mr Michael Harris, they were not a major issue. Yes, there were high tackles and yes, players were penalised but in a physical and highly competitive game played in the right spirit, no cards were required by the referee.

Northern kicked off and for most of the first quarter dominated the early exchanges with their No 8 and Captain McCullough together with Centre Vuna running strongly but early momentum was stalled twice by players knocking on. Although Park were working hard in defence, Northern were steadily gaining ground, backs and forwards combining well but yet another knock on gave Park some respite. This did not last long as a Park infringement (for a high tackle) gave possession back to the visitors. From the resulting lineout, Northern came again. A sweeping move right and then back left across the field committed too many Park bodies to the tackle and when the cover ran out, McCullough was able to power over by the far touch line to score on 8 minutes. An excellent try but with the conversion missed.. Percy Park 0 Northern 5.

The restart saw Park gain possession and a strong run by wing Howard Stock gave the home side a rare foray into opposition territory. Stock was stopped by a high tackle, ‘top of the seat belt’ according to referee Harris. A kick to the corner saw the Park forwards exert pressure from the lineout forcing another penalty; a similar move from the lineout was halted by a Park handling error but Northern made a mess of the engagement and from the resultant free kick, Centre Cooper Vuna strayed off side and Ash Smith made no mistake with a penalty from in front of the posts on 17 minutes. Percy Park 3 Northern 5

Northern, perhaps feeling that their ascendancy had merited more points on the scoreboard, came powering forward again, the No 8, both centres and both second rows carrying well. Several strong carries finally looked to have put Northern second row Cotton In under the posts but a brave try saving tackle from Park fullback Jamie Wrigley saved the day. A penalty awarded to Northern immediately afterwards for a player being off his feet at the resultant ruck saw a dangerous opposition crossfield kick over hit. This appeared to galvanise the home side and within moments, thanks to a great kick from outside half Smith, Park were contesting a line out close to the Northern line. The resultant advantage looked to have been lost after a Park forward knocked on but now came a real statement of intent from the Percy Park forwards from the resulting scrum. Despite having the put in, Northern had no answer to the power of the Park eight who powered forward with debutant No. 8 Jake Black scoring the try, much to the delight of his new teammates. 30 minutes played. The conversion was missed. Percy Park 8 Northern 3.

Park began to play with confidence after the restart, Josh Hedley and debutants Black and centre Ollie Bartle-Smith carrying aggressively.

A clever kick into space by Park scrum-half Andrew Walker (a tactic used throughout the game) forced a Northern knock on only for a Park infringement a few moments later to halt momentum, made worse by a comment that had Mr Harris marching Park 10 yards back. As the half progressed, Northern were feeling the pressure, the Park forwards gaining ground with second row Chris Reekie to the fore. Another good kick from Walker put play into the Northern 22 and an overthrow from the Northern hooker saw his opposite number Jonny Dubois pounce and charge toward the try line. Tackled just short, the ball was recycled with Chris ‘Tank’ Reekie eventually crashing over for Park’s second try on 35 minutes. Ash Smith converted. Percy Park 15 Northern 5.

As the first half came to a close, strong running from the Park three-quarters, notably Jamie Wrigley and Ross Young, together with stand-off Smith again put Park on the front foot and into the opposition 22 but the half ended sadly with a Park infringement.

HT: Percy Park 15 Northern 5

Park kicked off the second half with their early play hampered by indiscipline (a player off his feet, offside) with Northern forcing a defensive scrum within a couple of minutes under the Park posts. Defence became instant offence; Black initially carried, Walker put in a clearing kick to the left touchline which was brilliantly gathered by Ross Young on the 22, an inside pass to the alert and flying Jamie Wrigley took out the full back and he was able to sprint to the try line, easily outpacing the covering Dockey, the Northern left wing, for a scintillating score on 44 minutes. Converted by Ash Smith. 

The body language from the Northern players was noticeable, a little shell shocked from that early second half try but worse was quickly to follow. From the restart Northern were unable to put together any meaningful phases despite some possession and soon turned over the ball. Another good kick from Walker forced a clearing kick into touch from the Northern defence and from the resulting line out, midway in the Northern half, Ash Smith burst through the first line of defence, chipped the ball over the advancing full back only to be finally brought down a few metres short of the try line. Momentum was carried on by Chris Reekie and after several carries in centre field, Parkt prop Matty Atkinson went over under the posts for the bonus point try on 46 minutes. Converted by Ash Smith. Percy Park 29 Northern 5

With Park on the front foot, backs and forwards combining well, and with the visitors trapped in their own 22, they were feeling the pressure. After defending several lineouts Northern did manage to temporarily clear their lines from a defensive scrum but from the resultant line out, midway in the Northern half, Park engineered arguably the try of the match. The ball was quickly moved into midfield where both Park second rows provided forward momentum with strong carries. Wonderful interplay between forwards and backs at pace, with scrum half Walker always providing the link, tore through the Northern defence, Ash Smith providing the scoring pass to Sam Digman on his right shoulder. To a cry of ‘go on Diggers son’, he duly obliged, diving in just to the left of the posts on the hour. Converted by Ash Smith. Percy Park 36  Northern 5

As the game entered the last quarter, Northern managed to gain some possession forcing the home side to defend two lineouts in their 22 only for a forward to be penalised for not releasing. Smith was able to relieve the danger with the resultant penalty kick. Back came Park, swift passing at pace putting them into the opposition 22 only for a knock-on to halt their progress. However, at the resultant scrum, another mighty shove sent the Northern 8 backwards and the penalty was conceded, Ash Smith landing the kick on 71 minutes.

To their great credit, and having been on the back foot for most of the second half, Northern came on strongly in the last 10 minutes, keeping possession and forcing Park to defend deep in their 22. Three swift penalties were awarded for Park infringements as the home side desperately defended their line, with referee Harris playing the advantage. With Park given a warning by the referee over the repeated penalties, Northern finally got their reward with replacement Kyle Blackmore going over for the try on 77 minutes which was converted. Percy Park 39 Northern 12

In the final few minutes, Northern pressed again but were unable to convert their pressure into further points.

FT: Percy Park 39-12 Northern

An excellent win, against a good Northern side, will hopefully give the team confidence for tough tests ahead. Northern, who finished a credible third in the league table last season, will undoubtedly be there or thereabouts come the end of this season and we look forward to the return at McCracken Park. Our thanks go to them for a great game and of course to today's referee, Michael Harris.

Next Saturday, 9 September, Park travel to West Cumbria to play Cockermouth, KO 3pm.

Lions start with a flourish but run out of steam.

Blaydon Georgians 44 -22 Percy Park Lions

The Lions travelled to Blaydon with just 17 players and were always going to be up against it. We started well with a quick break from deep by Dan Jackson which led to  a penalty try. Then after a great rip by Jamie Guthrie, Skipper Joe Cassidy threw the first dummy of his 20 year career to go in under the posts. 0-14  up we dared to dream but back came Blaydon. The bear has been prodded and they responded with force quickly bringing the scores back to 14 12. The impressive Guthrie then crossed to put us 12- 19 up but with front row injuries the onslaught became inevitable with a series of Blaydon penalties and tries
The final score of 44-22  was a fair reflection but no shame to the Lions who gave a valiant effort. A few more subs would have made all the difference

Ten Out of Ten for Towell as Lions Cruise to Victory at Consett

Consett 2's  15 - 70  Percy Park Lions
Saturday 14 October 2023

James Towell’s perfect conversion return typified an outstanding Lions performance with a balance of youth and experience combining well . It was great to see both Jake Smith and Karl Thompson pull the black and white back on and also, we welcomed five students to our ranks .
Whilst Consett were pretty solid upfront they had no answer for our free flowing handling which had both centres Parsons and Bunton pitching in with hat tricks . With plenty of first team experience on display the pack dominated from the start and we were 0 - 49 up before Consett opened their account.

The final score of 15 - 70 was as a fair result given the dominance of the display. 

Next week its back to the League games with Blaydon Georgians away