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Rosslyn Park were barely recognizable in the first half as the side that came close to beating the Champions the previous week. Perhaps the efforts from that match were still in their legs as this below-par performance keeps them in the relegation battle.

A bright start by Park saw some good work by left winger Charlie Amesbury set up his fellow winger Benji Marfo for a good score out wide. Fly half Harry Leonard bagged an excellent conversion for 7-0 with only four minutes gone.


Joss Ovens secures line-out ball

Park aspired to play an open running game, looking the better side but they were gradually undone by inaccuracy and indiscipline, conceding a litany of penalties. The first of these was on six minutes allowing visiting scrum half Isaac Green to reduce the arrears to 7-3.

Park still looked the more dangerous side, but too often promising situations were spoilt by inaccurate passes or handling errors. They also appeared to have got on the wrong side of the referee, who constantly pulled them up for a succession of penalties. Hull fly half Greg Lound landed two of these on 29 and 32 minutes to Give Hull an unlikely lead at 9-7. Between those two kicks Park’s dependable full-back Henry Robinson had to be helped from the field, causing a reorganization of the defence.

Worse was to follow. Yet another penalty three minutes later saw Robinson’s replacement, winger Rhys Crane taking one for the team and being sent to the sin bin. Green scored from the kick for 12-9.

Hull Ionians saw their chance against 14 men and went on the attack. Park appeared to have blocked the danger until a dropped pass was seized upon and Hull centre Lewis Minikin got over in the corner, Green adding a superb conversion for 7-19.

With Park still short-handed, Minikin struck again on the stroke of half time, running in from close to half-way for 7-24 at the interval.

Park looked like a team transformed in the second half as they strove to rescue the situation. Livewire centre Dan Barnes got over on the right on 50 minutes to reduce the arrears to 12-24.

Six minutes later flanker Harry Hudson popped up to score, Leonard’s conversion making it 19-24.

Then on 63 minutes a good run by Barnes saw the ball moved on to Hudson and then wide for Marfo to show great speed and balance to sprint in and get close to the posts to give Park the 4-try bonus point. Leonard’s conversion gave them the lead at 26-24.

Benji Marfo scores for Park

Just as it looked as if the game was safe, another penalty saw Green restore the lead to the away side at 27-26.

Park surged back upfield and a concerted drive by the forwards saw Amesbury touch down on 71 minutes, Leonard converting for 33-27.

This time it was Hull who came back. A kick through saw Hull win the race to the ball, close to the touchline but possibly beyond the dead ball line. Neither the referee nor the nearby touch judge could be sure that it was fairly grounded so play was re-started with a 5-metre scrum to Hull. A succession of surges saw them eventually touch down by the posts, Rikki Stoute claiming the try, and leaving a relatively simple conversion for Green to snatch back the lead at 34-33 with only two minutes remaining.

Park went on all-out attack and won a penalty virtually on the touchline. A magnificent effort from Leonard gave them the lead at 36-34.

Park had only to play down the clock, but a handling error gave Hull a final scrum about 10 metres outside the 22. Park got themselves penalized and Green’s kick stole the match at 36-37.

Park Head Coach, Kieran Power, said: “Unfortunately ill-discipline and individual errors cost us in the first half and made it hard task to claw the score line back. But it was again penalties that allowed Hull to sneak the game in the last seconds of the match”.


Park: Robinson; Marfo, Grove, Barnes, Amesbury; Leonard; Gash; Nwakor, Gibson, Wade; Spivey, Gray; Frampton, Hudson, Ovens
Bench: Vaughan-Edwards, Lovell, Hughes, Crow, Crane
Park scorers: Marfo (2T), Barnes (T), Hudson (T), Amesbury (T), Leonard (P, 4C)


Charlie Addiman

Images: David E Whittam

April 16, 2018