SATURDAY 15TH MAY 2010

Loughborough Students :  21   Rosslyn Park:  43
National One Promotion Play-off
By Bob Evans

After five years of playing in Level 4 Rugby Rosslyn Park finally clinched promotion to Level 3 on Saturday with a comprehensive win over a talented but ultimately outgunned Loughborough University side. Everyone connected with the club is looking forward to renewing rivalries with old adversaries and friends such as Blackheath and Wharfedale whilst being slightly less enthused by the prospect of long journeys to the likes of Tynedale and Blaydon. All that though is in the future and certainly was not assured when the fifteen ran out on a beautiful sunny day at Loughborough in front of a large crowd of a thousand plus- most of them, apart from a sizeable Park contingent, vociferous students supporting the home side.

Apart from perhaps Allen Chilten,who was unavailable,Park fielded a full strength squad and just a glance at the quality of the Bench with players such as Jon Underwood and Adam Gates  there spoke volumes as to how far the club has progressed over the last couple of years.

The opening exchanges were very much like two boxers eying each other up and sparring and the only score was a sweetly struck penalty by fly half George Drake after five minutes. Ominously for the students however it was becoming apparent that Park had much more power and strength in the set scrums and the Loughborough eight were being regularly shunted backwards. Almost inevitably then the referee awarded a penalty try to Park after a series of scrummages near the home line which Ross Laidlaw converted.

Drake scored another penalty after fifteen minutes to cut the margin to a single point and now the talented home back division were engineering some good moves all of which were foundering on the as ever obdurate Park defence.  When they had possession though the Park backs were also starting to threaten by going through their paces slickly and an excellent move saw the ball go through several pairs of hands before prop Will Collier was bundled over by the rest of the pack. With real confidence now Park were outplaying their hosts in all departments bar, the lines out, and were getting a firm grip on the game. It was a surprise then when in 33rd minute the Park defence hesitated for about the only time in the match and that man Drake ghosted through a gap to score a try which he also converted. This score which gave Loughborough the lead certainly galvanised the home support who started to roar their favourites on and Park wobbled for a moment or two before being settled by the calming influence of the likes of skipper Rob Jewell and Park legend Chris Ritchie. This phase though was soon over and Park again established their superiority.The backs were now fully into their stride and the lead was regained when an excellent flowing movement led to Marc Sweeney going over and Laidlaw converting.

The half time score then was 19 – 13 and Park went in for their oranges and to hear the coaches’ warnings -despite now having slope and wind in their favour- about a  back lash from their young opponents in second half. When the team did emerge after the interval it was a shock to Park followers to see that talisman and top try scorer James Strong had had to be substituted because of a recurrence of an injury.

In the event though it was Park who started the half with more passion and urgency and after only two minutes the ever reliable flanker Morgan Jones found a large gap to scuttle through and score after considerable early Park pressure. Drake again got his name on the score board with a penalty but the game’s balance had now definitely tilted towards Park and after 12 minutes of the half winger Paul Unseld showed his predatory instincts by gathering the ball twenty yards out before worming his way through the narrowest of gaps to score wide out. Laidlaw again converted.

Despite Rosslyn Park’s growing ascendency Loughborough refused to lie down and  they did score a try after 18 minutes through Number 8 Burgess when a good sweeping move used the space created by the yellow carding of Chris Ritchie to good advantage. The match though was effectively settled five minutes later when Paul Unseld scorched through again to score an almost identical try which was converted by the ever reliable Laidlaw. In the last fifteen minutes of the match Park only increased their tally by one penalty but they were now very firmly in control and their grip never wavered even when the coaches went through the range of replacements.
At the final whistle- after saluting their valiant opponents-the whole Park contingent celebrated wildly with popping champagne corks. A long and arduous season had finally been rewarded.
Rosslyn Park: Richard Davies (rep: Chris. Simmons); James Strong (Rep: Ollie Lindsay-Hague), Marc Sweeney (rep: Billy O’Driscoll), Rob Jewell, Paul Unseld; Ross Laidlaw, Graham Barr; Nick Huggett (rep: Max Lahiff), Chris Ritchie, Will Collier; Howard Quigley (rep: Adam Gates), Steve Pape (rep: Jon Underwood); Morgan Jones, Johnny Barrett, Mark Lock.
Replacement not used : Matin Anayi.
Park Scorer: Penalty Try; Will Collier (T), Marc Sweeney (T), Morgan Jones (T), Paul Unseld (2T), Laidlaw (P, 5C)

————————————————————————————————

SATURDAY 1ST MAY 2010

Canterbury 17 Rosslyn Park 57

Needing a 4-try win to ensure a place in the play-offs, Park started uphill and against the wind. But it looked to be a degree of edginess that held them back in the early stages, rather than the elements. They started well enough, attacking play being rewarded with a penalty in front of the posts, gratefully converted by Ross Laidlaw for 3-0. But  Canterbury, roundly thrashed at Roehampton earlier in the season, played as if they had a point to prove and appeared determined to make it while conditions were in their favour. They soon hit back with a good run from winger Melford, who found fly half Best running outside him in support to crash over and an excellent touchline conversion from Masters made it 7-3 to the home side.

Rosslyn Park had a clear edge up front, and defended well when they had to, but they were not at this stage really stamping their authority on the game, and turning it into points. It was Canterbury who had the next chance, a penalty at the very limit of Masters’ range, which he could not quite make. That seemed to nudge the visitors into a higher gear, enjoying far more possession and the forwards exerting pressure on the home defences.

On 19 minutes it paid off when skipper Rob Jewell got over with opponents hanging off him. The home side felt that he had not got the ball down, but the touch judge confirmed the try. Laidlaw added the conversion.

But Park still could not shake off entirely the spirited home side, who equalised the scores with a 31^st minute penalty by Masters when the visitors were caught offside.

The visitors had more possession and territory, but this was not reflected on the scoreboard. With the interval approaching Park were awarded a doddle of a penalty in front of the posts, but Laidlaw spurned the offer of 3 points to kick to the corner. From the resulting throw, Park set up the catch and drive and stout resistance could not stop veteran hooker Chris Ritchie from crashing over. Laidlaw added the extras, and Park turned round at 17-10, the job at least half done.

A dream start to the second half saw Park again get a kickable penalty, again it was kicked to the corner and this time it was powerful lock Steve Pape who forced his way over, Laidlaw converting for 24-10.

But just as it looked as if Park might break loose, it was the home side who scored next, hoofing a penalty to touch in the Park 22. It looked as if the situation had been successfully defended, but Park somehow lost control of the ball and home flanker Rogers swooped, Masters putting his side well back in it – at least in terms of the score – with a conversion for 24-17.

That was the signal for Park to really assert themselves, and suddenly Canterbury were simply taken apart with a devastating spell of attacking rugby. Some good forward play went deep into the home 22 before the ball was released to the right, then switched to the left for the deadly Paul Unseld to pounce. Two minutes later the speedy winger struck again and with Laidlaw adding conversions it was all over at 38-17.

Park continued to run riot. The pack drove on for Pape to score his second try out wide on the right to make it 3 tries in less than 10 minutes. Still Park attacked and Marc Sweeney scored under the posts. Unseld’s hat-trick finished things off and it was a try worthy of crowning any match. Taking a great long pass at speed, he was brought down, regained his feet without losing control of the ball and was still able to use his pace to streak to the line. Laidlaw’s seventh successful conversion brought the final score of 57-17.

Park: Davies; Sweeney, Jewell (Simmons), O’Driscoll, Unseld; Laidlaw; Chilten (Barr); Huggett (Lahiff), Ritchie, Collier; Quigley (A Jones), Pape; M Jones, Barratt (Anayi), Lock.

Park scorers: Unseld (3T), Pape (2T), Jewell (T), Ritchie (T), Sweeney (T), Laidlaw (P, 7C)

——————————————————————————–

SATURDAY 24TH APRIL 2010

Clifton  0  Rosslyn Park  36

Followers of Park’s promotion rivals Ealing may rest assured that Clifton did everything they could to prevent the visitors leaving with the full 5 points. However, this was such a consummately professional performance from Rosslyn Park – based on a sound defence and dominant pack – that there really was little the Bristol team could do about it.

From the first whistle Park attacked with great intensity. There was a great move between Richard Davies and James Strong; Will Collier had a strong driving run stopped just short; Park camped on the Clifton line; Allen Chilten forced the home side to touch down behind their own line following their own defensive scrum. The home defence was strong and well-drilled, but after more than 6 minutes of constant pressure flanker Morgan Jones received the ball and was able to dive over the ruck to score, converted by Ross Laidlaw for 7-0.

Park were straight back with another superb move, but this time an interception would have seen the home side score but for some good defensive work. It was a blow when top try-scorer James Strong had to withdraw injured, though his replacement, Chris Simmons, played well. Clifton soon began to secure their fair share of possession, the main difference being that, on the ball, Park always looked dangerous whereas the home side’s efforts tended to be bottled up by a sound defence before they really threatened.

This was illustrated with Park’s second try, with nothing looking ‘on’ Paul Unseld used his pace to make a deep incursion up the left for Morgan Jones, in support, to gallop over after 23 minutes, converted by Laidlaw for 14-0.

Clifton had a rare chance with a penalty on half-way, which went close but not close enough, but Park still had the lion’s share of attacking. Steve Pape had a strong run that drew in defenders. Billy O’Driscoll’s strong incisive runs always looked dangerous, to the extent that it was possible to forget that skipper Rob Jewell wasn’t playing. But it was an inspired piece of play by Ross Laidlaw that brought the third try. There looked no real danger as the fly half received the ball well outside the 22, but he saw an angle that no one else saw and made a devastating run to score a great try, converting his own effort for 21-0 after 33 minutes.

Going flat out for the fourth try, a superb move up the left looked like unlocking the defence until a forward pass intervened and half-time came before they could make it.

With such wind as there was now mildly in Park’s favour, any feeling that the fourth try was inevitable was gradually dissipated. After 7 minutes Allen Chilten was shown a yellow card for some unnecessary tap dancing at the scrum. Park re-organised, drove at Clifton, but were stopped by their own poor final pass; O’Driscoll had another good run, and there was every reason to think a try would come when equality of numbers was restored. After further minor infringements the referee summoned skipper Chris Ritchie for one of those, “The next player on your side…” lectures.

Alas, just as Chilten was returning to the field, Will Collier committed another minor offence at the breakdown, in itself nothing like a ‘sin bin’ offence but Collier had to carry the previous indiscretions of his colleagues on his broad shoulders and off he went. To have to play half of the second period with only 14 players was a tall order against a side as good as Clifton, who were now enjoying more possession, and confidence in the inevitability of the fourth try was beginning to wane among Park’s supporters.

Come the hour (or in this case 65 minutes) cometh the man, in the form of Paul Unseld. He intercepted the ball well inside his own half, among a group of players and just flew clear and then past two defenders to score. Had he embellished his run with the odd swerve it would have looked the great try it probably was, but he doesn’t do “flashy”. A weight visibly shifted from his team’s shoulders well before Laidlaw’s kick bisected the posts for 28-0.

Relaxed and again playing attractive running rugby, Park dominated the rest of the match and never really looked like conceding a score. Laidlaw added a penalty to his tally, and a good run from Simmons led to a try by Marc Sweeney with the last move of the match. But for Park, the fourth try was what mattered, what came after was mere decoration. Now they need to repeat the trick at Canterbury.

Park: Davies; Strong (Simmons), Sweeney, O’Driscoll, Unseld; Laidlaw; Chilten (Barr); Huggett (Daw), Ritchie, Collier; Quigley (Underwood), Pape (A Jones); M Jones, Anayi, Lock.

Park scorers: M Jones (2T), Laidlaw (T, P, 4C), Unseld (T), Sweeney (T).

——————————————————————

SATURDAY 17th APRIL 2010

Rosslyn Park 68  Westcombe Park 15

Rosslyn Park destroyed this match as any sort of competitive spectacle with a devastating opening burst. They had the 4-try bonus point safely in the locker after only 17 minutes, and at 42-0 after 25 minutes it was effectively all over.

In the first minute the home side broke away up the left and worked the ball inside where prop Will Collier, coming on to the ball at speed was simply unstoppable, setting up an easy conversion for Ross Laidlaw. There was an element of fortune about the second try. Fielding a kick out of defence well into their own half, the visitors tried to play their way out, only for a pass to ping off a player’s chest to concede possession. The ball was gratefully received and worked wide to James Strong who sprinted in at the corner before the defence could recover, Laidlaw’s boot making it 14-0 after 4 minutes.

Rosslyn Park were straight back on the attack, and after some forward pressure the ball was spread for centre Billy O’Driscoll to lope in, Laidlaw again converting for 21-0.

Marc Sweeney moved from the wing, scrum half Allen Chilten moved to the wing and Graham Barr came off the bench to play scrum half. It didn’t halt the home side’s relentless attacking, and it was indeed a long pass from Barr out to the left that played a part in the next score; the ball was quickly worked back to the other wing where Strong galloped in past a stretched defence to register the 4-try bonus, Laidlaw converting for 28-0.

Surging back on the attack, only four minutes later, Marc Sweeney sprinted in to finish off another good move. The forwards, more than playing their part in establishing domination, soon drove to the line and visiting flanker Dean Sole earned 10 minutes in the sin bin for his role in halting it. Any relief was short lived as the home side, from the penalty, set up another drive and Chris Ritchie was the player who got the ball to ground. Ross Laidlaw maintained his 100% kicking record to make it 42-0 after only 25 minutes.

It was impossible that such intensity could be maintained, and when Rosslyn Park did ease back a bit on the throttle, plucky ‘Combe showed they were not as bad as the opening spell had made them look. A penalty in front of the posts on 27 minutes saw scrum half Lee Audis kick them onto the scoreboard at 42-3. The home side began to leak the odd penalty, Howard Quigley was given a yellow card and silly indiscipline saw another penalty brought forward 10 metres to a position that allowed the kick to find touch deep in their 22. The last play of the half saw the home side belt the ball out of play behind their own in-goal to bring the whistle.

Given time to regroup, Rosslyn Park began the second half smartly with an attack up the left that saw Chilten bundled into touch near the line. ‘Combe then made one of those utter cock-ups that so often afflict sides that are struggling. Awarded a penalty to relieve the pressure, instead they took a quick tap and passed the ball straight to O’Driscoll who had only really to place the ball down, Laidlaw again converting.

‘Combe came back with a good try, lock John Chance powerfully driving on to set up the opportunity for Audis to get over the line and convert his own try.

However, instead of building on that, with the home engine now developing the odd splutter, ‘Combe reached again for the button marked ‘self-destruct’. Trying to play out of defence, they passed to Sweeney who sauntered in to give Laidlaw his eighth conversion to stretch the lead to 56-10 after 48 minutes.

Game ‘Combe responded with an excellent try: a good move up the left flank put centre Graham Purdy in for 56-15. But it was inevitable that the home side would have the last words in the matter, and they needed no ‘assist’ from the visitors. Attacking up the right, some super inter-play between Sweeney and Strong found Graham Barr running wide in support to cross the line. It was Dylan Pugh’s misfortune to have replaced Laidlaw just before the most difficult kick of the afternoon.

However, some smart work by Pugh contributed to the move that brought the final try, and with it Sweeney’s hat-trick, and the replacement kicked the conversion for 68-15. A ten-try performance was not a bad way to bring down the curtain on the League season at Rosslyn Park. Now the team must visit Clifton and Canterbury in search of the vital league points that would secure a play-off for promotion.

Rosslyn Park: Simmons; Strong, Jewell (Barr), O’Driscoll, Sweeney; Laidlaw (Pugh); Chilten; Huggett, Ritchie (Anayi), Collier (Daw); Quigley, A Jones; M Jones, Barratt, Underwood.

Sub (did not play): Pape

Park scorers: Sweeney (3T), Strong (2T), O’Driscoll (2T), Collier (T), Ritchie (T), Barr (T), Laidlaw (8C), Pugh (C).

——————————————————————————

SATURDAY 10TH APRIL 2010

Southend 32 Rosslyn Park 29

Park had all the early play. A super run up the left by Unseld, past two tackles, nearly bore fruit. Big pressure saw them gain a penalty inside the home 22, but out wide. It may have looked straightforward from the main spectator area, protected from a strong crosswind on the other side of the pitch, but for a left footed kicker it appeared a very tall order indeed from where Ross Laidlaw was kicking. So it proved, and a kick to touch to keep up the pressure may well have been the better option.

As so often happens when one side enjoys a monopoly of possession and fails to capitalise, as soon as the other gets the ball, they score. A line-out on their left saw Southend winger Nick Flexman make a good run to stretch the defence and he passed to full-back Simon Hoult, who delivered the sucker punch, converting it himself for 7-0 after 6 minutes. Park gave early notice that this was not to be their finest day when they got in front of the kicker at the restart to immediately concede a scrum. Less than 5 minutes later they were caught offside in front of their own posts to allow Hoult to extend the lead to 10-0. The visitors often looked the better side, but attractive moves were peppered with simple errors that stopped them fully exploiting good field position. Southend were clearly “up for it” and it soon became obvious this would be a difficult afternoon. Park came back with a strong attack, but again opted to kick at goal when awarded a penalty in a similar position to the first, with a similar result. Powerful runs from Jon Underwood and Amo Tauialo went to the heart of the home defence but a knock on spoilt things. Back they came again, another penalty and this time kicked to touch. Park won a scrum and again exerted pressure, first driving then throwing the ball around to probe for an opening, but the defence was superb. Laidlaw tried to rapidly change the direction of attack with a kick to the left but the strong cross-wind took it out on the full. Back came Park, another penalty (and the home skipper told to warn his players) and a superb kick to touch in the corner. Another maul nearly made the line, then the ball was released for dynamic runs from Mark Lock and Underwood before Laidlaw spun a superb long pass, against the wind, to James Strong who made a difficult path to the line look dead simple for 5-10 after 21 minutes. Southend showed they were a good side and always looked dangerous ball in hand. The match should have swung Park’s way approaching the end of the first half when a midfield melee saw the home flanker Green sent to the sin bin. However, the resulting penalty failed to find touch and was booted back with interest. From the resulting scrum Underwood uncharacteristically could not hold on to the ball and when it spilled centre Michael Stanley delightedly scooped it up and ran on to score, Hoult adding a conversion for 17-5 at half time. Precisely what was said in the confines of the dressing room remains a secret, but clearly did not include the practical advice that if you are in the mood to shoot yourselves in the foot, do not go out armed with a sub-machine gun. Park started strongly. The first attack was foiled by a forward pass, but Graham Barr performed a brilliant steal from the scrum to set up a good move by Nick Huggett and Strong, but when Laidlaw tried to switch direction his pass found home winger Flexman, who flew away up the wing. Unseld gave chase, but when the Southend man was able to step out of his despairing tackle without pausing it was 22-5. Worse followed almost immediately when Laidlaw gathered the ball in defence and speared his clearance kick straight into the ribs of the home fly half Phil Ellis, who had plenty of time to bend down and pick the ball up before cantering off between the posts, his try converted by Hoult for 29-5 with less than half an hour left. Mercifully Ross Laidlaw is an experienced enough player to realise that two isolated cock-ups do not make him anything less than Park’s outstanding player this season. Park’s reaction to adversity was utterly magnificent. Led from the front by skipper Rob Jewell they played attacking rugby that really did justify that over-used word “awesome”. Straight onto the attack, a penalty just outside the 22 was hammered to the corner by Richard Davies and Park drove relentlessly to the line for Chris Ritchie to score. The angle of the conversion defeated Dylan Pugh (on for Laidlaw). Straight back on the attack, Paul Unseld had a great run up the left, the forwards camping on the line before the ball was released across to the right for Strong to score his second, Pugh adding the extras for 29 – 17. Strong was soon involved again with a super run up the right before being felled by a high tackle, of the clumsy rather than the deliberately violent kind. From the resulting penalty Park set up Jewell to crash over for what looked a superb try. There were audible sighs of relief from the home crowd when the referee, perfectly positioned, ruled there had been a forward movement. But Park were by now irresistible and a good attack through the middle saw the ball moved to Unseld on the wing, who made good ground before releasing to Jewell who flew over – and this one counted. This was attacking rugby of the highest order, and Park were not done yet. A superb attack through the middle – Jewell again – saw Pugh streak away between the posts, converting it himself for the visitors’ fourth try in 12 minutes to tie the scores at 29-29. The only way Southend were now able to get into the visitors’ half was in kicking off after a score, but that route proved to be enough when – looking to get back on the attack – Park rashly got caught offside directly in line with their posts. Hoult coolly slotted the penalty over for 32-29 with just over 10 minutes remaining. Few would have bet against Park finding a way to score again, but the rugby gods were not with them. They spent the rest of the match deep in Southend territory, most of it camped on the line, but the loss of powerful lock Steve Pape with an injury meant shifting Underwood to lock the scrum. Park tried everything to get over the line but Southend defended magnificently and when, after several minutes of immense pressure, the referee spotted a forward movement to give a 5-metre scrum to Southend, they sent it through channel one and hoofed it out of the ground to claim victory. Any Park supporter returning to the Clubhouse to find his pint half full would have toasted bravery in defeat and a period of the best attacking rugby you are ever likely to see at this level; those finding their pints half empty would have wept into them about how a side so good could ever have got themselves 29-5 down in the first place, knowing what hung on the game. Park: Davies; Strong, Sweeney, Jewell, Unseld; Laidlaw (Pugh); Barr; Huggett, Tauialo (Ritchie), Collier; Quigley, Pape (Anayi); Underwood, Barrett, Lock. Subs not used: Daw, O’Driscoll Park scorers: Strong (2T), Pugh (T, 2C), Jewell (T), Ritchie (T).

——————————————————————————-

——————————————————————

SATURDAY 3rd APRIL 2010

Rosslyn Park 23 Worthing 33

Worthing were the better side and thoroughly deserved their win. Park could plead in mitigation that they were without four front row players, plus the influential Adam Gates in the back row; also missing were the League’s leading points scorer, Ross Laidlaw, and the club’s leading try scorer James Strong. But Park have a strong squad and it is better to accept that – on the day and in the conditions – they were simply not good enough against a side that has won 11 of 13 matches since the clubs last met. They also handicapped themselves by having to play a quarter of the match a man short.

Almost from kick off, Park gained a penalty that was hoofed to touch; the throw went over the top of the line-out and that was more or less the last they saw of the ball until 14-0 down. A super move by Worthing saw good inter-play through the middle before centre Greg Sullivan went over, full-back Matt McLean adding a conversion. Park’s restart kick went out on the full, conceding a scrummage on half way. It was not long before the lively visitors, fly half Benn Dudley outstanding, scored another cracker with scrum half Jack Metters making a good run round the outside before passing inside for Sullivan’s second with only 4 minutes on the clock. McLean again converted. Rosslyn Park set about repairing the damage and took the game to Worthing, soon producing a penalty which was slotted over by Dylan Pugh for 3-14. Back on the attack, through the forwards, four minutes later a further penalty was whacked over by Pugh from 35 metres for 6-14. This was the home side’s best period of play. First a great run up the left by Paul Unseld failed to bear fruit, then the forwards had a rumble at the line before some first-rate handling skills from Jonny Barrett shipped the ball on to Richard Davies who found Ollie Lyndsey-Hague outside him and the winger coasted in for a fine try. Pugh’s conversion attempt struck the post, but at 11-14 after 13 minutes, it looked as if Park had weathered the storm. Worthing were still making things difficult. Generally they were quicker to the ball, the conditions suited their pack who at the very least held their own, and a pair of nippy centres ensured the home side could not relax. Park’s cause was not helped when lock Steve Pape was shown a yellow card and invited to take 10 minutes rest. The visitors began to impose themselves, soon catching Park offside near their own posts for McLean to stretch the lead to 11-17. Park tried to counter, but were undone when Lyndsey-Hague was isolated from his support and penalised for not releasing. McLean added three more points for 11-20. Worthing were now clearly on top, punishing further indiscipline with a kick to the corner, but were themselves penalised as they set about attempting to drive. That brought the half time whistle. The second period started well for the home side. In the second minute the ball was worked wide to Unseld, who was closed down but cleverly chipped past the defender, and a running race that involves him is only likely to have one winner. The angle for the conversion was too sharp, but at 16-20 Park were back in the game. However, on 6 minutes, Park further handicapped themselves when Howard Quigley was aghast to see the yellow card waved in front of him. The resulting penalty allowed McLean to stretch the lead to 16-23. A man short, Park were suffering in the scrum, but fought bravely to try to get some sort of toe-hold in the match. They forced a penalty in midfield, but it was at the limit of Pugh’s range, the underfoot conditions were no help and it never looked like bisecting the posts. Nor did Park help their cause by getting involved in some aerial tennis, when the Worthing winger Joe Govett was able to kick comparatively prodigious distances: it was a bit like declaring nuclear war whilst armed with a catapult. Just as they were returning to a full complement, further indiscipline undid Park. They were caught in possession, penalised, and unsolicited advice to the referee yielded a further 10 metres to allow Worthing the opportunity to kick into the corner. When visiting prop Raynn Bruce barrelled over, followed by an excellent conversion, the lead was stretched to 16-30. Worthing nearly added a further try but for some superb last-ditch tackling in the home defence. A further game of kicking tennis was resolved firmly in the visitors’ favour, finding touch deep in Park territory. Park again conceded a penalty, this time in front of the posts. The visitors surprisingly just took the 3 points on offer rather than go for the bonus point try, but at 16-33 Park’s goose was well and truly cooked. The players, greatly to their credit, did not stop trying and launched a good attack up the left, halted by winger Govett with a deliberate knock on that earned him a yellow card. Park went again and Unseld used his pace to settle the argument, Pugh adding the conversion for 23-33 with 3 minutes left. Park threw everything at Worthing and gained a penalty, square on to the posts about 10 metres into the Worthing half. It was the last kick of the match, and would have brought the tiniest consolation of a losing bonus point, but it was not to be. It was, for Park, a bad day at the office when they least needed it. The test of their promotion credentials will be how they react to this set back in a difficult match at Southend next Saturday. Park: Davies; Lindsey-Hague (O’Driscoll), Sweeney, Jewell, Unseld; Pugh; Barr (Chilten); Daw, Tauialo, Huggett; Quigley, Pape (A Jones); M Jones, Barratt, Lock Park scorers: Unseld (2T), Lyndsey-Hague (T), Pugh (2P, C) Subs not used: Rodman, Kearns.

SATURDAY 27th MARCH 2010

Henley Hawks 22 Rosslyn Park 47

A five-try first half romp by Rosslyn Park effectively ended this as a contest by half-time. That Henley are a useful side is evidenced by the fact that they denied Ealing a victory here at Dry Leas only three weeks earlier, but for long periods they were made to look decidedly ordinary by fired-up Park. It was clear from the first engagement that the visiting forwards had the home pack completely kippered. It is never easy to play behind a retreating pack, but the Henley half-backs didn’t help their cause by seeming to engage in a private contest to see which of them could kick the ball back to Park with the higher trajectory.

Park made their now customary hot start, James Strong and Paul Unseld giving early notice of their pace. But the breakthrough on 3 minutes came from someone less instantly associated with blinding speed. The visitors turned over Henley possession 40 metres out and prop Will Collier grabbed the ball, saw a yawning gap in front of him and sprinted for the line, ending with a theatrical dive and a landing that may have sent tremors as far as Oxford. Dylan Pugh added the conversion for 7-0. A defence that couldn’t catch a prop over 40 metres was never going to contain James Strong, but when the winger received the ball wide on the right four minutes later it was his changes of direction as much as his sheer speed that saw the home defenders so bamboozled that they failed to lay a hand on him. If the visitors thought this was going to be a stroll in the park, then Henley soon showed what might happen if concentration was allowed to relax even momentarily. First the home side for once kept ball in hand, and winger Will Jones got over in the corner. Will Fulton’s conversion attempt hit the far post below the crossbar, but four minutes later he was on target with a penalty to make it 8-14 after 16 minutes. This served only to goad Park into playing some irrepressible rugby. With the forwards supplying seemingly endless ball and space, a great move ended just short of the line with the ball just eluding Rob Jewell’s outstretched fingers. Another good move up the left came to nothing. Henley were forced to concede penalties, Pugh whacked one to the corner and the home defence did well to resist a seemingly endless succession of forward surges, but when the ball was then worked wide to Strong they had no answer, Pugh converting well. It was mostly one way traffic as, when Henley did get the ball, Park thankfully received kick after kick. When Henley made one half decent kick, someone was pinged for offside and play came all the way back for a scrummage in their 22. Another massive siege on their line saw Collier eventually get over for his second try after 36 minutes, bringing up the bonus point. Park immediately returned for seconds, this time Amo Tauialo forcing his way over and Pugh maintained a 100% kicking record to make it 35-8 at the interval. The visitors started the second half brightly enough. A good run by Unseld got close to the line but Jonny Barrett, playing on, swathed in bandages under his scrum cap after a nasty cut to his head, couldn’t quite take the pass. On the other wing Strong hacked on for what would have been his hat trick try but was brought back for a knock on. Park seemed to lose focus for a period but, hard has Henley tried, they could not produce much and the match seemed to be drifting. Conversation strayed to a pair of red kites that had nested in trees next to the ground. As one floated majestically on the breeze it was suggested that they had been introduced to provide target practice for the kicking of the Henley half backs. But suddenly we were jolted back into life as a tremendous break saw Henley almost score. They followed up with a good move from the scrum and a well-worked overlap saw scrum half Jack Shaylor get over, Fulton converting for 15-35 with 15 minutes remaining. Five minutes later lock Steve Green took advantage of some slightly sleepy defending to get over for another, also converted for 22-35. The home support was suddenly galvanised: another try would bring the unlikeliest 4-try bonus point, and a conversion could mean a further point for losing by 7 or less. Park, however, had other ideas and simply went up through the gears. Unseld had another good run before Strong galloped away up the right, Pugh’s conversion making it 42-22. Then in the dying moments another break by the flying winger brought his fourth try and the final whistle at 47-22. All in all, a commanding performance in which Park made a decent side look ordinary. Perhaps they were guilty of knocking off a bit in first part of the second half, but let us be thankful that rugby is still played by humans and not robots. It would be wrong to close without mention of Dylan Pugh: a mainstay of the team last season, Dylan’s opportunities have been limited by the form of Ross Laidlaw but he took this chance with both hands and – six out of seven – a very dependable left foot. Park: Simmons; Strong, Sweeney, Jewell, Unseld; Pugh; Barr; Huggett, Tauialo, Collier; Quigley, Pape: M Jones (Underwood, Anayi), Barratt (Underwood, blood), Lock. Subs not used: Daw, O’Driscoll, Pugh. Park scorers: Strong (4T), Collier (2T), Tauialo (T), Pugh (6C).

SATURDAY 13th MARCH 2010

Shelford 3 – Rosslyn Park 42

This was probably Rosslyn Park’s best performance of the season, made all the better by the fact that Shelford were not at all a bad side. Earlier in the season, in ankle deep Roehampton mud, the Cambridge side lost only to a last minute penalty. On this firmer surface Park imposed their quick-passing running game and the home side, despite glimpses of real ability, were never really in with a chance.

Park made their customary high speed start, coming at the opposition from all angles. The forwards created a firm base for operations and, with superb support running and fast accurate passing, the backs soon had Shelford chasing shadows. After 5 minutes of relentless attack, switching the ball from side to side, Richard Davies prominent in the move against his old club, the ball was moved wide on the left for Paul Unseld to use his pace to score for 5-0 after 5 minutes. Shelford showed they had no intention of just making up the numbers, with a good attack that forced Park to concede a penalty for full-back Ed Gough to reduce the arrears to 5-3. The riposte from Park was quick and deadly. The ball was again shipped wide to Unseld, who raced towards the line and, when closed down, off-loaded to Davies who completed a peach of a try. Shelford still looked a threat when they had the ball, right wing Phil Bullen-Brown showed great pace to nearly score but was brought back for an earlier penalty, and their scrum-half Shingai Chiwanga made a pretty good meal from being fed scraps. But Park were relentless, despite losing Adam Gates to an early injury, and another dizzying attack brought a penalty in front of the posts which Ross Laidlaw slotted over for 13 – 3 after 21 minutes. Park’s third try, soon after, was worth the admission charge on its own. James Strong made a superb dart up the right wing, timing his off-load to full-back Davies to perfection. The full-back changed the angle, sprinting inside before releasing the killer pass for Marc Sweeney to gallop over at top speed. Laidlaw added a conversion and it was 20-3. Shelford had certainly not given up, and a sustained attack forced Park to show that their attacking prowess was based on a sound defence. Park eventually turned over possession, only for the home side to hoof it back into the corner near the Park line. Park weathered some intense pressure before successfully turning a scrum. Steve Pape broke away and Sweeney took the ball on before it was lost just short of line. Park still had the final say in the half, with another super attack up the right. They switched direction for Unseld to sprint into the 22 and when the ball was whipped across the middle Shelford were penalised for Laidlaw to make it 23-3 at the interval. It didn’t take long for Park to establish a similar pattern in the second half and after 7 minutes, with the complicity of some poor defending, Laidlaw sprinted through the middle from 40 metres out to bring up the bonus point, converting his own effort for 30-3. It was the only serious mistake Shelford made all afternoon, except – possibly – in turning up. Park began to make substitutions but it did not disturb the pattern of play one iota, for which the Coaches deserve much credit. The fifth try was another belter, the ball was worked wide on the right and Strong simply pinned back his ears and rocketed to the line for 35-3. Shelford were still gamely playing some good rugby, and an excellent kick forced Park back to their own 22, but they defended impeccably and the pace of their counter-attack, both in running and speed of handling was more than the home team could live with. Strong embarked on another electrifying run, the ball was worked inside and Howard Quigley loped in to bring up 40. With Laidlaw off the field, it was left to Davies to inflict further punishment with the conversion. Shelford still summoned the effort to try to get at least a try, but a quick break by winger Dominic Jones was soon stifled and it was Park who very nearly added to the score. Twice Strong was stopped for forward passes, with the line at his mercy, the second of which looked at best a marginal decision. But all in all a superb performance by Park against a team who are a lot better than the League table suggests. They now have a week off – and next Saturday their title rivals Ealing and Barking have to play each other. The title race is hotting up. Park: Davies; Strong, Sweeney, Jewell, Unseld; Chilten (Barr); Laidlaw (O’Driscoll); Huggett, Ritchie (Tauialo), Collier (Daw); Quigley, Pape; Gates (M Jones), Barrett, Lock. Park scorers: Laidlaw (T, 2P, 2C), Davies (T, C), Unseld (T), Sweeney (T), Strong (T), Quigley (T).