This was a rearranged game, due to the Northumberland Cup, and the Lions last league game of the season. Park started well and scored a try through frenchman Damien Coia on 8 minutes after the centre crashed through midfield to score under the posts. Simon Greetham converted to give Park a 7 – 0 lead. Greetham extended the lead with a penalty ten minutes later.
The Park forwards had the upper hand over their Northern counterparts, and it was through the pack that the second try of the game was scored. The ball was moved down the right and Karl Campbell took the ball on before offloading inside for Craig Bartle to power his way over the line. With an excellent touch line conversion Greetham increased Park’s tally to 17.
Park scored again on 30 minutes when a quick ball from the top of the line out was spun out through the backs and wing Mike Baker finished off the move with a try which Simon Greetham converted with the aid of the cross bar.
Northern scored 3 points from a penalty just before half time, so at the break Park led 22 – 3 with the wind at their backs for the second half.
In the second period young number eight, Austin Philips scored from the base of a scrum 5 metres out from the Northern line after the pack drove Northern backwards, surprisingly the conversion was missed.
Percy Park were looking to run the ball from anywhere on the field, and when Northern was unkindly penalised for not releasing the ball in the tackle, despite not being held, Jimmy Baldwin took a quick tap penalty inside the Park 22, and sped off up field. After a couple of interchanged passes, Johnny Gould finished off the try and Greetham converted to take the score to 34 – 3.
Anthony Dunn scored a good support try, after coming back from several weeks out with injury, and having benched for the 1st XV the previous week. Damien Coia made a telling run through the visitor’s defences before being stopped short of the try line. Dunn was on hand to receive the popped pass and go over the line. With the conversion made good Park’s lead was stretched to 41 -3.
With ten minutes remaining, the Northern hooker sustained an injury, and the referee decided to blow the final whistle, but Park had deserved the win to make up for their earlier 25 – 11 defeat at McCracken Park.
Park’s Pumas travelled to Consett to play their seconds, and suffered due to several late cry offs and the fact that the Academy had a