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The early stages were evenly matched but on 9 minutes, having already lost hooker Tom Vaughan-Edwards for a head injury assessment, Rosslyn Park got themselves penalized close to their own line, Mowden kicked to touch and drove over in the corner, hooker Chris Wood claiming the try.

Park launched some promising attacks but Mowden defended well and eventually the visitors found themselves penalised to allow their opponents to clear. On 13 minutes Mowden full-back Grant Connon popped up on the left and sprinted through some limp defending to score in the corner. Fly half Brett Connon converted for 12-0.


Battle for possession

Just to emphasise how easy it was, almost from kick off the full back did it again for 17-0 with barely 15 minutes on the clock.

Park tried to come back, but it seemed that every time a promising move developed an error would creep in. Mowden eventually got a penalty in front of the posts on 26 minutes, opted to kick to touch and from the throw prop Ralph Appleby crashed over in the right corner for the bonus-point try and 24 -0.

Park made a good surge to the 22 but then frustratingly dropped the ball. Scrum half Jack Gash made a super run almost to the line, the effort to ground the ball brought a 5-metre scrum from which the hosts were penalized, but there was no way through a redoubtable defence and it ended in a 22 drop-out.

The visitors looked lively at the start of the second period, but a promising break ended with a pass to an opponent close to the line, another with a handling error and a third with being penalized for ‘crossing’. It seemed nothing would work.

On 64 minutes Mowden winger Callum Mackenzie put the match beyond doubt again exposing Park’s defence to crash over, converted by Connon for 31-0.


Jack Gash on the attack

To their credit, Rosslyn Park did not stop trying. With 10 minutes remaining they got a penalty in front of the posts and hoofed it to the corner for the catch and drive. The first effort was stopped, but at the cost of another penalty. Park opted to scrummage and when the drive was stopped illegally a penalty try was awarded for 31-7.

The visitors strove to lend some respectability to the score but were undone at the very last moment when, again, their right flank opened up to allow replacement Warren Seale to skip in for the final score at 36-7.

Rosslyn Park Head Coach, Kieran Power, said, “We lost out on the physical challenges in defence which always gave them front foot ball and never gave us an opportunity to slow possession down or chances to steal it.

“We did, though, retain ball well in attack and created some great phases of play but individual errors meant we didn’t capitalise on that possession”.

Park: Robinson; Dudman-Jones, Henderson, Barnes, Hassell-Collins; Leonard; Gash; Nwakor, Vaughan-Edwards, Lovell; Macphearson, Gray; Taggart, Hudson, Spencer.
Bench: Gibson, Higgins, Ellis, Crow, Hutson
Park scorer: Penalty try

This coming Saturday Park have no fixture, but continue their League programme on Saturday week with a visit to Ampthill

Charlie Addiman

Images: David E Whittam

November 13, 2017