Sat 7 Mar 2020
It’s never a good sign when you realise the changing rooms, bar and playing pitch all have different postcodes. Testament to Linley they do it the hard way when 1s and 2s both at home. First challenge, getting all the players to find the changing rooms at the bottom of the artificial ski slope. Second one, navigating the trek back up the hill then half a mile to the parkland pitch. It was a day for Roger to excel and put his mountain leader skills to use, but sadly he was absent, off somewhere with Route5pursuits (free advert mate!).
By some miracle enough made it to the ground, most just in time for a pretty shambolic and rushed warm up. And it showed in the start to the game. Silly mistakes and poor execution invited the big Linley forwards to trundle up the pitch and put the first points on the board as their big centre crashed over. Conversion missed 5-0 and Park up against it.
Gradually Park woke up. Good tactical kicking by Rich Murdin got Park into the right areas and created pressure on the big Linley lads by moving them around. The introduction of the talismanic (but late!) Welshman Gareth Lewis, immediately drew a penalty for a high tackle. Playing the advantage Park moved the ball quickly left, stretching the big defenders and fast ball near the line enabled Murdin to send Ed Wilkinson through to score. Murdin added the extras. 7-5 to Park and that’s how the half ended.
Second half and Park started well, creating pressure and playing in the opposition half. From a set piece in their own 22, one of the big Linley forwards ran straight at Park. In one movement Ed Wilkinson stopped him dead, spun out of the tackle with the ball and charged at the Linley line. Held up yards short the quick offload allowed fellow flanker Mike Knight to dive over and score. Great work by the back row boys and the extras added by Murdin meant a 14-5 lead.
What followed next was a passage of scrappy rugby, Linley pressing and most of the game being played around the Park 22. The big Linley scrum was starting to give them a platform but every attack was met with disciplined committed defence. A hallmark of Park’s season. Finally with about 15 minutes left Linley scored out wide after tying in the Park defence. Conversion missed. 14-10 and getting a bit twitchy.
Linley were fired up but Park pushed them back again into their half. Murdin kicking astutely pinning them back and great kick returning by young debutant Jake Spencer-Kellet including one very impressive run and kick pinning the opposition back on their 5 metre line. Gradually Park got a bit of control and strung some phases together and played the most controlled rugby of the game . From good line out ball quick hands finally found Gareth Lewis with a bit of space in midfield. Against bigger tired men there was only one result as he danced through to score under the posts. Easy conversion for Murdin and 21-10 to Park. And so it remained as Park controlled the game to the final whistle.
A difficult day for Park. The logistics of the ground, several weeks off due to the weather, a poor pitch and every respect to a pretty strong and powerful opposition. The set piece spluttered, lots of handling errors, but the hallmarks of the season remain. Stoic defence, great team spirit and ruthless finishing of chances when it matters.
After the recent disappointment of the leagues “pools panel” verdicts for rained off games, the withdrawal of Anselmians and Port Sunlight propelled Park back to top of the league. And also the title is now in our hands. Win our last three home games and we go up as champions.
Special mentions to Aran Clarke for travelling back from Ashby to play only to be stuck on the wing due to a late drop out and back shortage. Jake SK , very impressive on debut, ran hard, tackled hard and grabbed his shirt for next week with both hands given the opportunity. Rich Murdin , quality kicking all day from full back then 10 later on. However MoM goes to Ed Wilkinson, scored one try, made one with a brilliant steal and tireless at the breakdown all day.
So the scene is set, first up Prenton Saturday, at Burrows Hill.
Tony
