Saturday 15 February 2025
York 22 Percy Park 20
Regional 1 North East
(HT: 10-13)
For the fourth time in five games since the new year, Park were on the road, making the trip to York on Saturday hoping to find that elusive win after nine straight losses. In a tight, tough but exciting encounter they so nearly pulled off the win, a home try just five minutes before the end ensuring an agonising two point defeat. It was an excellent performance that had the York faithful, post-match, wondering just how they had won the game. With both Selby and Blaydon winning their respective matches, Park slip into the two relegation places (subject of course to the vagaries of the RFU) but the journey home saw an upbeat side confident that a win is just around the corner with two successive home games next up.
As has been the case all season, there were changes to the side defeated at Alnwick last week due to injury and unavailability. Paul Spowart moved from centre to fullback, replacing Will Ponton who begins a sojourn to New Zealand to further his rugby career (we wish him well), with Oli Bartles-Smith partnering Seb Reece in midfield. Coach Keith Laughlin came into the back row to replace the injured Matthew French with Jake Smith making a welcome return on the flank. The versatile Sam Digman moved to the second row to partner Chris Reekie. On the replacements bench, Nathan Newbound made a welcome return to the 1st XV squad alongside Michael Birkett and debutant Freddie Hara.
On a dull, murky, overcast day York kicked off with the floodlights already necessary for a 3 pm start. Park started well, an early Howard Stock run along the right touchline catching York offside as the ball was moved infield on the home 22. Fullback Paul Spowart was narrowly wide with the kick at goal after three minutes. Park attacked again after strong running from Spowart and half backs Jordan Carey and Jacob German but York were able to clear their lines after the visitors were penalised for not releasing the ball in the tackle. Back came Park, a kick and chase along the left touchline by wing Sol Kench, who was tackled just short of the York line, leading to a home infringement, the resulting penalty kick being put into the left corner. An excellent catch and drive had hooker Dan Shuttleworth touch down for the opening score on seven minutes. Spowart was unable to kick the difficult conversion (0-5).
York gained possession from the restart and a series of drives were well defended around the Park 10 metre line with only Park indiscipline gifting them a way into the visiting 22 and the home side took full advantage, strong running in midfield eventually allowing York fullback Liam Hessay the space to cross to the right of the posts on fifteen minutes. Centre Will Fordy converted (7-5).
From the restart, what appeared to everyone watching to be a hard but legitimate tackle from Chris Reekie earned the second row an immediate yellow card from referee Kristian Garland (for head on head contact) which did appear somewhat harsh. However, it spurred Park on with the visitors earning a penalty after a high tackle on the home 10 metre line. Spowart’s attempt at goal fell agonizingly short on twenty-one minutes. The visitors kept up the pressure, keeping possession and only denied by a knock-on almost on the York try line. A poor clearance from the resulting scrum again put the home side under pressure and another high tackle on the home 22 gave Spowart another opportunity to kick for goal but his kick was narrowly wide on the half hour.
The home side were penalised again from the restart, side entry to the ruck, with the penalty kicked deep into the York 22. The resultant catch and drive was stopped on the line but with the home side being repeatedly penalised, Park eventually elected to kick for goal in front of the posts, duly converted by Spowart to give the visitors a narrow lead on thirty-four minutes (7-8).
A strong attack along the left touchline was halted when Park knocked-on allowing a York scrum on the Park 10 metre line. From there, they quickly gained territory, Park straying offside just inside their own 22 which enabled Fordy to kick the penalty goal on 38 minutes (10-8). With little over a minute to play before the break, a great chase from the restart put pressure on the home side, a poor clearance kick enabling Park to win a penalty at the ruck with York over the top. The kick was put into the right corner and another excellent catch and drive had Shuttleworth scoring again. Spowart missed the conversion from the right touchline, the last action of the first half (10-13).
HT: York 10 Percy Park 13
Park kicked off the second half and again, started the better side. York conceded two relatively quick penalties allowing the visitors a lineout in the home 22 but the throw was deemed not straight and the advantage was lost. In those early exchanges York were struggling for momentum but a good kick and chase along the left touchline had Park scrambling in defence, scrumhalf Jacob German with an excellent clearance averting the danger. Both sides were now willing to attack when in possession but as the third quarter ended, two quick ruck penalties had the home side with a lineout in the left corner. The catch and drive was held after superb Park defence on their own line and it seemed that the ball had been turned over but Park were deemed to have knocked the ball forward giving the scrum to the home side in front of the Park posts. The ball was moved right with, eventually, Will Fordy exploiting a gap in the defensive line to score to the right of the posts on the hour which he converted (17-13).
York came again after the restart, Park quickly conceding a penalty after a high tackle on their own 10 metre line with Fordy electing to kick for goal but he was off target, much to the relief of the Park faithful. Replacement Nathan Newbound, with a great break into midfield, had York scrambling in defence but as the ball was moved left a pass was missed and the ball rolled into touch. Park took the York lineout and won a scrum penalty shortly afterwards to put the home side under sustained pressure, repeated ruck infringements eventually leading to a York yellow card. A kick to the right corner, another good catch and drive had Park scoring again through Dan Shuttleworth on seventy minutes, Spowart kicking an excellent conversion from the right touchline (17-20).
With time running out, Park gifted York possession and territory after conceding two quick penalties through indiscipline, York with a lineout in the visiting 22 on the left touchline. The ball came infield and good Park defence seemed to have contained the threat but when Park moved up too quickly, York fullback Hessay saw the gap to go over to the right of the posts to put the home side ahead on seventy-five minutes (22-20).
In the remaining few minutes, Park conceded penalties which gave York the opportunity to see out the game which they did to take the win.
FT: York 22 Percy Park 20
One of our best performances of the season, even in defeat, and it was a game we really should and could have won. There was no sense of despondency after the game with the team sensing that there is that elusive win just around the corner, a sentiment echoed by skipper Howard Stock post-match: “I thought we played really well and deserved to win, as we did at Scunthorpe a few weeks ago. Our forwards were outstanding and I could not have asked for more and we gave them problems out wide as well. In truth, their tries all should have been stopped, they were defensive errors more than anything else. I didn’t understand some of the referee’s decisions and, to be fair, I thought they should have had a card for persistent penalties in the first half but it is what it is. Against Selby we were poor, our only bad performance since Christmas in our only home game, but there is a performance in the team and with two home games coming up, what better time to deliver it”.
For Park, Keith Laughlin was outstanding as was Sam Digman up front with Jordan Carey and Jacob German playing well at halfback. It was good to see Jake Smith back and he played well, as of course did hat trick hero Dan Shuttleworth. The backs offered threat whenever they had the ball but, credit to York, they took their opportunities to win the game. Congratulations to York prop Ed Westaby on his 100th appearance for the club, he played well. It was a good, hard encounter and we thank York for the game and their hospitality and wish them well for the rest of the season. We also thank referee Kristian Garland.
Saturday’s results mean that Park have slipped to second bottom, just one point above local rivals Blaydon, but with successive home games to come (including Blaydon on 1 March), there is much still to play for and, as captain Howard Stock alluded to, there is a win just around the corner.
The Lions travelled to Northern on Saturday losing a close game 31-24 and the Panthers arranged a home friendly with Houghton Hornets winning 31-14. Next Saturday see the 1st XV take on Sandal in a league game at Preston Avenue, KO 2pm. There are no fixtures scheduled for either the Lions or the Panthers but keep up to date on social media for any fixture updates.
Percy Park: 15 Paul Spowart; 14 Howard Stock ©; 13 Seb Reece; 12 Oli Bartles-Smith; 11 Sol Kench; 10 Jordan Carey; 9 Jacob German; 8 Keith Laughlin; 7 Jonny Dubois; 6 Jake Smith; 5 Chris Reekie; 4 Sam Digman; 3 Tristan Grant; 2 Dan Shuttleworth; 1 Aaron Smith
Replacements: Nathan Newbound, Michael Birkett; Freddie Hara