Last updated at 10:54, Thursday, 16 April 2009

It was like an end of season game – just a little premature.

Percy Park Lions 38, Prudhoe&Stocksfield 10.

Northumberland League 2B is a generally good standard of local rugby but at the top of the table there is a blockage caused by two sides that cannot go up.

So, in effect, the table consists of the other nine teams.

Having been one of two sides that were promoted to the league last season Prudhoe and Stocksfield find themselves immediately behind Percy Park Lions in fourth place in the table.

The team promoted with them find themselves bottom of the table.

This was a top of the table clash but for Prudhoe and Stocksfield it was going to be a difficult and tiring game.

Percy Park Lions kicked off and moved into the attack.

The home side are a fairly young side with two or three older players giving leadership and support to the younger aspirational players.

As has been the case in several recent games P&S moved forward and on to the offensive but with too scant regard for defence.

When the ball was lost and a black and white hooped shirted player was able to evade three tackles within his own half, and was soon outstripping the turning defence to give the Lions the first score.

Five minutes later it got worse as the scrum half took a quick tap penalty 30 metres out and ran in the second try to give the Lions a 10-0 lead.

Over the next 15 minutes the visitors’ forwards were outstanding in set pieces.

In a passage of play that saw some 11 scrums and four lineouts, they took their own and the Lions’ share.

P&S took all six of their own scrums and three of the opposition’s.

Matthew Jefferson and Matthew Bewick have been outstanding this season and the front five, as the scrum count testifies, have also played very well.

Unfortunately when there is such commitment up front it does sometime leave gaps and only a superb covering tackle by Steve Rogers stopped the Lions going further ahead.

The visitors were soon back on the attack but were stopped only five metres short.

Sadly the attack saw the end of “Harpic” Dodds game as a leg injury caused him to leave the game.

The attack continued and again the visitors were held about seven metres out.

With Steve Rogers down and injured, his opposite number showed a stunning turn of pace to run about 70 metres to take his side’s score to 17-0 at the conclusion of the half.

The second half saw P&S driving forward and this time Ed Halford crossed the line from a five metre scrum.

The game see-sawed over the next ten minutes until a kick ahead saw a ball bounce awkwardly and away from Paul Griffin defending his own line and the ball fell invitingly for a Percy Park player to score his side’s fourth try.

This bit of luck seemed to inspire the home side and depress the visitors for over the next fifteen minutes it was all Park.

They scored their next try from a line out where they won the ball and ran at pace into the defence and through to the line

The score got worse as Park scored another converted try before skipper Chris Russell finally inspired a fight back with a 35-metre dash.

The pick of the P&S forwards was Jay Neal, who seemed to get bigger and stronger as the game went on.

It was a rampaging effort from him that set up the opportunity for Ben Henderson to score Prudhoe and Stocksfield’s second and final try.

First published at 09:54, Friday, 10 April 2009
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk