Ones take the season to the very last game after loss at Medway

A nervous but confident Park House travelled to Medway for the penultimate game of the season. In the reverse fixture Park House won 20-16 in what was a game of two halves. The pitch was near perfect and barring a short downpour the conditions matched.

The match started in a very similar fashion to the first encounter. Park House were completely dominant for the first half playing some wonderful rugby keeping the very talented Medway team pinned in their half with some excellent kicks and applying the right amount of pressure at the breakdown.

The back row trio of skipper Tom Bailey, number 8 Tom McMurdo and James Boam were proving extremely effective at the breakdowns ably supported by some fine tight five play. Park House, on the Medway 22, got good clean ball from a lineout that number 9 Nick Waddell spun out to number 10 Richard Russ who drew his man and offloaded to inside centre Richard Gough who's wonderful miss pass found number 14 Chidi Nzekwue in space. From the ruck, a series of pick and drives saw Park deep in the Medway 22, gaining ground with ease. It came to an abrupt end when the ball was slowed down by the Medway 6 and eventually turned over. The clearance kick landed perfectly into Nzekwue's arms, sensing a counter attack opportunity Nzekwue stepped his man and zig-zagged his way through the Medway defence to the tryline only for it to be ruled out for an obstruction.

The Medway 14 was sent to the sin bin after a series of altercations and Park House were awarded a penalty. Number 10 Richard Russ stepped up and converted the penalty to give Park House a 0-3 lead. Park looked to turn the dominance and possession into points and continued to attack the Medway tryline, each time a lapse in concentration resulted in a forward pass, knock on or a turnover resulting in a loss of possession allowing Medway to clear their lines.

Just before half time Park House were camped on the Medway 22. From the base of a ruck number 9 Nick Waddell broke to the open side with support to his right and an overlap. The ball was offloaded and a quick pass was intercepted by the Medway 10 who sprinted the length of the pitch to score under the posts. This was the only time in the half Medway entered the Park House 22 and they came away with maximum points after the kick at goal was converted. The half time whistle blew with the scoreline, unbelievably, at 7-3 to Medway.

Half time 3-7

The second half began again with Park House in possession in the Medway half. A kick through by number 10 Richard Russ bounced awkwardly in front of the Medway fullback allowing number 11 Russell Bamford to get a boot to the ball and hack through, a little chip saw the ball bobble over the tryline and Bamford won the foot race to touch down for what is fast becoming his trademark finish. The conversion attempt from Richard Russ was successful to give Park House a fully deserved lead at 10-7.

Medway struck back almost immediately with a penalty to tie the scores at 10-a-piece. As soon as Park House got their hands back on the ball they were back in the Medway half. From a lineout on the Medway 22, number 9 Nick Waddell fed fly half Russ who placed a perfectly weighted cross field kick into the corner for number 14 Chidi Nzekwue to score. A fine try was followed by a fine conversion from out wide - 10-17 and Park House were flying.

Then something happened and the game, the decisions and the possession all seemed to go against Park House. Medway were in full flow now with their wide men making good ground into the Park House half where a penalty was awarded that was superbly converted by the very impressive Medway flyhalf to bring them within 4 points. 13-17.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, with Medway in the ascendancy, the game became very scrappy. With both sides trying to secure possession and both sides slinging the ball around turnovers where inevitable, Park House were first to concede possession in their own half and the result was to concede a penalty, again, kicked by the Medway 10 to make the scoreline 16-17.

From the kick off, the Medway 9 found himself tackled by number 7 Tom Bailey, number 8 Tom McMurdo was first to the breakdown and attempted to steal the ball with the tackled player not releasing. Amazingly the penalty was awarded to Medway and skipper Bailey was sent to the sin bin for the remainder of the game. This proved to be a huge blow to the Park House team who's backs were against the wall. From a collapsed scrum, Medway were awarded a penalty that they took quickly, not allowing the front rows to break up, and spread the ball along the line looking for the gap. The ball was recycled and spread back across to the other side where the Medway prop, still from the previous scrum, was available on the one man overlap to go over right in the corner for a try. The conversion attempt was pulled just wide but crucially Medway had the lead at 21-17 with four minutes to go.

The remainder of the game saw Park House try everything to get into the Medway half but each attempt was slowed down and quick ball for Waddell was at a premium. Medway did have a chance to increase their lead with an attempt at goal but the kick was just off target. The referee let everyone know that this was to be the final phase of play. Number 9 Nick Waddell jinked his way through to open field and offloaded to the supporting number 8 Tom McMurdo who battered through the defender only for his attempted offloaded to be knocked on. The final whistle was blown and the Medway celebrations began.

Final score 21-17

This was a very tough result for Park House, but congratulations to Medway for their fight back. The game saw Park House dominate for 60 minutes only for it to come undone in the final ten. This was a huge dent in our survival battle leaving the lads devestated after the game. But it is not over yet, with one point seperating ourselves and Hastings there is still everything to play for in the final game of the season on April 10th against Horsham. Please get down to support the teams on the final day of the season.

I would like to, on behalf of everyone at Park House, thank Medway for their hospitality and kind words of support after the game. You are a true rugby club with traditional values and I hope that never changes. Hopefully we will meet again next season.

Relegation still a possibility after win against Whistable

Park House welcomed fellow Kent strugglers Whitstable to Barnet Wood Road for a titanic survival battle. A generous Saturday morning downpour meant free flowing rugby was never going to be on the menu, Park House knew that the team that controlled possession would walk away with the points from this encounter.

Park House received the kick off playing away from the club house and took control in the early exchanges. The back row of skipper Tom Bailey, Tim Allen and Tom McMurdo were putting themselves about to great effect early on, gaining penalty after penalty at the breakdown. A series of penalties saw Park House enter the Whitstable 22 after a quick tap and go by number 9 Nick Waddell, Whitstable conceded another penalty in front of the posts leaving number 10 Richard Russ with the easiest of attempts at goal. Penalty slotted to make the score 3-0.

From the kick off Park House controlled the ball and set up the drive. The rolling maul worked it's way into the Whitstable half where a scrum was awarded to Park House. From the base, number 8 Tom McMurdo broke to the blind side where he exchanged passes with number 9 Nick Waddell and accelerated deep into the 22, with only the full back to beat the offload found number 10 Richard Russ in support to score under the posts. Conversion successful - 10-0 after 20 minutes.

The remainder of the half saw Park House create a number of opportunities to increase the scoreline, each time a minor mistake would cost us. Whitstable had two missed attempts at goal which, if converted, would have given the game a very different feel. Park House knew that they had to be ruthless with their opportunities, a factor which has been missing for most of the season. Coach Jason Boast had some wise words in store for the lads at half time.

Half time 10-0

The first 15 minutes of the second half saw the game become increasingly scrappy. With both sides reduced to 14 men for ten minutes for an altercation on the floor it was Whitstable who began to dominate possession and mount some pressure. From a penalty on the Park House 22 Whitstable took a quick tap and attacked the Park House defence, a second Park House player was sent to the sin bin for an infringement at a ruck and another penalty was awarded. Whitstable, understandably with the numerical advantage, chose to take the scrum. The six man Park House scrum disrupted the Whitstable set piece enough to produce scrappy ball for the fly half to get isolated and concede a penalty for not releasing the ball. It really was a great defensive effort.

Whitstable came back at Park House and were camped in the Park 22 building pressure. Number 8 Tom McMurdo managed to get his hands on the ball at a ruck and a penalty advantage was awarded to Park on their own try line. Rather than take the penalty and clear their lines Park House decided to use the advantage and form a counter attack. Firstly number 10 Richard Russ dummied a clearance kick and broke to the open side to find number 15 Tom Boam with acres of space to burst into. Some fantastic interchanging rugby and some superb clearing out at the ruck produced quick ball for number 9 Nick Waddell to feed Matt on the blind side where he slipped the first tackle and sprinted in for a fine individual score in the corner. The difficult conversion was pulled slightly wide taking the score to 15-0.

With their full compliment of players back Park House began to regain complete control of the game. A penalty for killing the ball on the floor was awarded in front of the Whitstable posts and number 10 Richard Russ stepped up and duly converted it to make the score 18-0 with around 10 minutes to go.

The final score of the afternoon was to be the best yet. Just outside his own 22, number 9 Nick Waddell broke to the open side, with support players either side of him he chose to pass to the inside for number 7 Tom Bailey to gallop into the Whitstable half and throw a double miss pass out to replacement winger James Boam who pinned his ears back and sprinted in to the try line. The support play and pace of the score was truly fantastic. The conversion attempt was missed to make the score 23-0.

Final score 23-0

Games against Whitstable are always a tough affair and, bar a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half, Park House controlled every facet of the game. It is increasingly obvious that tactics being worked on in training are successfully coming together on the field so please keep up the good work and finish the season off strongly.

Other results have gone our way this weekend but we still need a massive effort in our remaining two fixtures to ensure our safety in London South East 3. Next week Park House travel to Medway, a ground where we haven't won on for the last few seasons, for another must win fixture. Please make every effort to come and support the lads.

Twos take on Old Alleyians

The Park House line up was

1. Matt
2. Jon Cheyne
3. Kev
4. Ed
5. Dave
6. Andy
7. Lin
8. Alex

9. Sam
10. Pete
11. James
12. Tanny
13. Pat
14. Saunders
15. Ed

Bench
Eoin and Pete

Park House started out full of optimism due to recent results and maybe there was a little too much optimism as we gave away silly ball and tried to go wide too early resulting in pressure inside our own 22. We lost out first scrum (their prop had his foot raised in fairness; ref spotted it next time and we were more comfortable from then) and it was from this that OA's first score came. Heads didn't drop, but continual attempts to try and force midfield breaks didn't work, and the 2's rustiness showed in defence where we were a little too porous. Eventually just before half time Park House were able to string together some pressure and proceeded through the OA's 22 through pick and drives, earning ourselves a penalty which shortly turned into a try for Lin in the corner.

Having proven we could do it, we set out to do it again in the second half... and instead repeated the mistakes of the first half to give OAs a few more scores. Again, we refused to let our heads drop and fought back. We got more physical and kept the ball in the forwards and got some spectecular success with our mauls, repeatedly making some great ground up the park. This resulted in two late tries - I forget who scored the first. The second was from the last play of the game - Jon made a great break, stepping inside their fly-half before popping up to Lin (I think) who took the ball into contact, where prompt support allowed for quick ball which swept it out for Pat to score.

A frustrating game from a Park House point of view - we had the ability to beat them, but didn't help ourselves at all and a good Old Alleynians side took full advantage to rack up a fairly big win. If we'd read the signs and placed more responsibility on the forwards to move us up the park earlier we might have won. But we didn't.

MotM - I would say Sam for being a good sport and faking an injury so I could get on early, except it put me in the backs (hope your foot's ok if you're reading this) so I won't - so I'll say Jon for a good display as captain as well as good play in all non-technical hooker aspects.

Ones in heavy defeat against near-top East Grinstead

Park House welcomed high flying East Grinstead to Barnet Wood Road for a re-arranged fixture caused by the years earlier extreme weather. East Grinstead, with high hopes of promotion this season, were at full strength for this game. In contrast, Park House were weakened by the 'free' weekend arrangements of several key players, but this was a great opportunity for players to put their hands up against a side among the leagues best. The pitch was a little boggy after the recent rain and the sun was shining which made for perfect rugby conditions.

From the kick-off East Grinstead showed their power, taking control of the early exchanges with ease. East Grinstead's extremely mobile pack competed and won almost all the early ball against an unusual Park House back row. The difference in skills was soon to become very evident when the impressive East Grinstead 7 picked the ball up at the base of a ruck, broke through two tackles and sprinted un-challenged from half way. The conversion was missed from out wide to make the score 0-5 after ten minutes.

East Grinstead had control of the game in the majority of areas, their front five were controlling the set piece, the back row controlling the break down and the back line looking dangerous every time they got the ball. It was proving very difficult for Park House to get their hands on the ball but we were defending very valiantly with some great cover tackles from number 10 Tom Boam and number 13 Chidi Nzekwue. However, it wasn't too long before the next East Grinstead score which came from a well worked move allowing the winger to go in under the posts. Conversion scored 0-12 after around 20 minutes.

The remainder of the half saw East Grinstead run in a further three converted tries, all from the same mould. The very impressive East Grinstead 12 scored the first of his hatrick of tries after cutting a superb line off his 10 and stepping his way through. Park House had an opportunity of their own to get on the scoresheet, from a penalty the ball was kicked to the far right corner and the lineout was secured by number 7 Ben Hurst. The Park House pack set themselves for the drive and proceeded to work their way to the tryline only for the ball to be knocked on. From the turnover, East Grinstead broke from their own 22 to score a length of the pitch try and bring the half time whistle.

Half time 0-33

The second half saw Nick Waddell come on for the injured Richard Gough at scrum half. East Grinstead continued their dominance from the first half. For the first 15 minutes of the half Park House had plenty of the ball but seemed to get turned over in scoring positions. The Park House pack worked extremely hard to keep the East Grinstead forwards pinned in their own 22. From a penalty, Park House kicked to the corner and set the lineout. As in the first half a knock on gifted possession back to the dangerous East Grinstead outfit.

East Grinstead scored seven tries in the second half, all but one were converted. All the tries followed the same pattern - a missed first up tackle, power and pace to break through the line and some excellent support play to finish off the scores. The rugby being played was a great example of how simple this game can be if you get the basics right, this is something this well drilled team have obviously worked hard on in training.

Park House did manage to get on the score sheet midway through the second half. Number 12 Richard Russ intercepted a loose East Grinstead pass just outside their 22 and fed number 14 Russell Bamford to race to the line beating his devastated opposite man for what was a well deserved consolation score. The conversion was pulled just wide.

Final Score 5-80

This was another difficult experience for Park House at the hands of a Sussex club, there must be something in the water down that way at the moment as the three sides at the top of London SE 3 are playing some fine rugby and all deserve promotion and I'm sure they will be extremely competitive in London SE 2. Good luck to East Grinstead in that fight for promotion. The top of the league battle is almost as interesting as the bottom...

Although the scoreline is not a pretty sight, Park House played some nice rugby for periods of the match and deserved at least one more score. There are some positives to take from this performance, especially with some of the displays of players playing out of position. I would also like to personally thank those players that stepped up and made themselves available this week for what was a very tough game.

Park House now have four games left to secure safety in this league. Hastings winning this weekend sees Park House drop back into the bottom three. Commitment and desire needs to be shown at training this week to get this show back on the road at Folkestone on Saturday. Please make every effort to be there on Wednesday as there is alot to work on.

Ones move out of relegation with a high score against Gravesend

Park House welcomed fellow strugglers Old Gravesendian’s to Barnet Wood Road for what could only be described as the biggest game of the season to date. Park House knew that, other results permitting, a win would see them climb out of the relegation zone. The pitch was a little soft under foot after the recent downpours and barring a short sharp blast of snow the conditions were excellent for rugby.

Park House kicked off towards the club. The initial exchanges saw Old Gravesendian’s utilise their pick and drive, a weapon they used extremely well in the reverse fixture, to enter the Park House half. Park’s defence stood strong and the ball was cleared to touch. It was glaringly obvious this game was never going to be a walk in the park with so much at stake for both sides.

Park House eventually got their hands on the ball just outside their own 22, number 10 Tom Boam fed number 12 Chris Hay who broke the tackle to straighten beautifully and feed number 13 Richard Russ to gallop into the Old Gravesendian’s 22. With support either side of him Russ opted to find his inside man, number 7 James Boam, who beat the full back to score under the posts for a fine team try. The conversion in front of the posts was unfortunately struck against the cross bar to make the score 5-0.

From the kick off Park House secured the ball through number 8 Tom McMurdo who broke down the blind side. Some excellent support play and quick ball allowed number 9 Richard Gough to release his dangerous backs. Number 10 Tom Boam wriggled out of a tackle by his opposite number to break into the Old Gravesendian’s half where he released number 13 Richard Russ to sprint to the line for another fine try. No mistake with the conversion this time to make the score 12-0.

The Park House pressure was now relentless. From a ruck on half way, number 9 Richard Gough broke down the blind side and produced a perfectly weighted chip through for number 14 Russell Bamford to beat his opposite man for pace and get a foot to the ball and score what is fast becoming his trademark try. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful from out wide 17-0.

An infringement in open play saw number 6 Tim Allen spend 10 minutes in the sin bin. During this spell Old Gravesendian’s got some points of their own on the board. A penalty just outside the Park House 22 was successfully converted to make the score 17-3 after 20 minutes.

Park House soon regained the initiative and produced another try. A scrum midway into the Old Gravesendian’s 22 saw number pick up from the base and break to the blind side where he fed number 9 Richard Gough to go over for a well deserved try. It was such a pleasure to see Goughy playing with a huge smile on his face and utilising all his leadership skills in the 9 shirt. The conversion was successful to bring the score to 24-3.

Park House were in a ruthless frame of mind, something we haven’t seen consistently so far this season. With secure ball just outside the Old Gravesendian’s 22 the ball was spun to number 13 Richard Russ, in the fly half channel, who produced a cross field kick for number 14 Russell Bamford to leap and get enough of a hand to flick it back in the direction of the supporting number 15 Chidi Nzekwue, unfortunately Nzekwue couldn’t quite gather the bobbling ball allowing the covering defence to nudge the ball off the park. From the short lineout, the ball was fed to number 8 Tom McMurdo, with the help of his pack, recycled excellent quick ball to number 9 Richard Gough. Sensing the opportunity number 14 Russell Bamford called for the ball on the blindside and battered his way through the defence to score. The conversion was pulled just wide of the posts to make the score 29-3 with 5 minutes of the half to go.

Park House weren’t finished there though. Continuous pressure saw Park House awarded a penalty that was kicked to the corner. From the lineout Park drove towards the line and set up position 5 metres out. A series of pick and drives saw number 4 Ben Hurst go over for the final try of the half. The conversion attempt was successful and the whistle was blown to bring to an end an exhilarating example of Park House at their ruthless best.

Half time 36-3

The second half started much the same as the first with Old Gravesendian’s piling on the pressure on the Park House defence. From a penalty just in front of the Park House posts Old Gravesnedian’s chose to scrum. The ball was recycled by the number 10 and with an overlap on the big blindside the Old Gravesendian’s support player went over for a deserved try. The conversion attempt was missed to bring the score to 36-8.

This was a wake-up call for the Park House team knowing that the next score was to be crucial. Park House piled on the pressure but the resolute Old Gravesendian’s defence kept the attacks at bay. Park House were looking to run everything now and they were running to often devastating effect.

From a break, by number 15 Chidi Nzekwue, starting inside his own 22 and finishing on the half way line the ball was recycled well. Quick ball allowed number 9 Richard Gough to break down the blindside with support from number 10 Tom Boam, who burst through the gap and fed number 13 Richard Russ to beat his man and feed number 11 Iain McElhone to go over for an excellent try. The conversion attempt was successful to make the score 43-8 after 60 minutes.

An altercation at a lineout saw number 4 Ben Hurst and the Old Gravesendian’s number 3 sent to the sin bin. This was to have little effect on the game and Park House stuck to their game plan and went in search of another score looking to get as many of the points from last week’s disastrous visit to Brighton back as possible.

From a ruck just inside the Old Gravesendian’s half the Park backline again utilised the blindside and broke with pace and power through the defence. Number 9 Richard Gough fed number 12 Chris Hay who delayed the pass perfectly for number 13 Richard Russ to burst onto and feed number 11 Iain McElhone who drew his man and popped a pass off to number 3 Glen Hastings for the simplest of finishes in the corner. The conversion attempt was unsuccessful to bring the score to 48-8.

The final play of the game saw Old Gravesendian’s break from inside their own half and score a fine try in the far right corner. It was a consolation try of the highest calibre and well deserved after their efforts on the day. The Old Gravesendian’s skipper slotted an excellent conversion to give the scoreline a slightly more respectful look.

Final score 48-15

The first half display from Park House was excellent and any team in this league would have struggled to cope with the pace and power the players showed. It is always difficult to keep up the motivation when you go ahead so quickly but the defence stuck to their task in the second half and we picked off our scoring opportunities very well.

Credit to an Old Gravesendian’s side who are obviously struggling for confidence and consistency this season, a position we have found ourselves in many times over the years. They played some very good rugby and fought to the bitter end. We at Park House wish you all the best for the remainder of the season.

Next week Park House take on East Grinstead in a re-arranged fixture at Barnet Wood Road. Please make every effort to come down and the support the boys.

We were also fortunate to be reported on the News Shopper Website:

http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/sport/rugby/5023301.No_respite_for_Gravesendians/

Ones struggle against 'best of the league' Brighton

Park House traveled to the in-form Brighton this weekend, with a disrupted team after late withdrawals and some key unavailabilities altered the look of the starting XV‘s of recent weeks, knowing that this was going to be a very difficult game after the reverse fixture at Barnet Wood Road earlier in the season finished closely in Brighton’s favour. It was a bitterly cold afternoon with a chilling wind but the pitch was immaculate. The game was delayed by 15 minutes as the referee decided he didn’t fancy it so referee Mrs. Langley, allocated to the Brighton third team game, kindly stepped up and did a fine job.

From the kick off, Brighton took control of the game. Some fine forward play saw Brighton earn a penalty that went into the corner, from the lineout the Brighton pack drove to the line for their first score of the afternoon. The conversion from out wide was missed to make the score 5-0.

Park House struggled to get their hands on the ball and Brighton used the possession with deadly effectiveness. The next try wasn’t long away, the ball was shipped out wide with ease for the Brighton 14 to beat his opposite number and enter the Park House 22 to offload to his supporting full back for a clean run to the posts. Conversion scored 12-0.

Two tries in quick succession followed to take the score to 22-0 after 25 minutes. Park House finally got some possession of their own to work with. Some nice forward play saw Park enter the Brighton half, the ball was shipped out wide to number 11 Ed Hockey to take on his opposite winger, Brighton’s defence was solid enough to repel the Park House pressure and clear their lines. Park didn’t give up and continued to pressurise the Brighton defence with some nice tight work. From a lineout, the ball was thrown long and well collected by substitute Kev Tomkins who beat the first man and looked clean through to go for a well deserved try only for the ball to be adjudged to have been knocked on at the lineout. From the resulting scrum Brighton cleared to touch to bring the half time whistle.

Half time 22-0

The first ten minutes of the second half saw Park House continue their pressure with some nice work from the front 5 and the makeshift centres. However, once Brighton got their hands on the ball they scored at will. The Brighton pack were securing wonderful quick ball for the livewire 9 to work his magic and feed his very talented backline. The following half hour of the game saw some of the most deadly accurate rugby I have seen in a while. The Brighton back three cut the Park House defence to shreds on several occasions scoring some wonderful tries executed with sublime skill, power and pace.

Unfortunately and somewhat uncharacteristically (if I do say so myself...) I can’t remember the finer details of all of Brighton’s scores. Not sure whether it is not wanting to remember or the result of a late night in Brighton town centre... However, most of the scores followed the similar pattern of the ball spun out wide for the wings and the very impressive full back to create maximum damage.

Park House valiantly continued to play the game and worked tirelessly for a consolation score. The best opportunity came with around five minutes of the game to play. Park House were awarded a penalty just outside the Brighton 22 that was kicked to touch by number 10 Tom Boam. Park secured the ball from the lineout and set up phase after phase trying to penetrate the Brighton defence. Eventually the ball was knocked on and Brighton turned defence into attack and scored another try in the final play of the game.

Final score 62-0

Brighton are an extremely well drilled and talented team with match winners from 1 to 15. I would arguably say they were the best team we have played this season and wish them all the best with their promotion attempts.

This was a tough lesson dished out to this Park House side but a learning experience all the same. We need to take this game as a reality check and use it as a catalyst for the remainder of the season. Obviously it deeply hurts being on the end of a 62-0 defeat but in a way I think it could prove to be a good thing for the squad, after all we are in a relegation dogfight that is never going to be easy. Let’s take the pain from this defeat and channel it into the next fixture, Old Gravesendian’s at home this coming Saturday.

Please get down to the club and support the boys for this crucial fixture. 2.30pm kick off.

Ones rise from the bottom of the table after another win

Park House welcomed fellow league strugglers Hastings & Bexhill to Barnet Wood Road on the back of a very impressive win against Medway last week. Park House were looking to build on a victory of their own, against Crowborough, after a slight setback in the survival bid against Heathfield. With both sides fielding slightly disjointed sides with injury and unavailability dealing a blow at this crucial ‘business’ stage of the season an epic encounter was expected.

The first 15 minutes of the game saw some very impressive play from this resurgent Hastings side and bar a missed penalty attempt from number 10 Richard Russ it was all Hastings. Park House struggled to get their hands on the ball and when they did it was always scrappy and motionless. It was extremely apparent that this was not going to be a walk in the park for Park House when, after a long spell of pressure, Hastings scored a well worked try in the left corner. The conversion was missed to make the score 0-5 after 20 minutes.

Some strong words to the team from skipper Tom Bailey saw the balance change in Park House’s favour. Knowing that the penalty count was beginning to harm us and the loss of possession and territory was making life extremely difficult to string any phases together the decision was made to pin Hastings back in their 22 and let them make the mistakes. It was from one of these mistakes that Park House got some points on the board. A fine penalty kick from number 10 Richard Russ made the scoreline 3-5.

Sticking to the game plan saw the remainder of the half played in Hastings territory. A series of well placed kicks saw Hastings pinned deep into the 22. A lineout steal by number 4 Ben Hurst allowed Park House to drive towards the try line. A series of pick and drives followed only for the ball to be held up over the line, attacking scrum to Park House. Hastings’ very resilient defence was finally broken when number 9 Nick Waddell picked the ball up at the base of the scrum, beat the Hastings blindside flanker and his opposite number to dive over the line for a deserved score just in from the right touchline. The conversion was missed to make the score 8-5.

Half time 8-5.

The second half saw Park House increase their pressure on the visitors. Some fantastic play by the pack saw Park work their way deep into the Hastings 22. Camped on the 5m line Park House kept the ball alive very well in the close encounters. The pick and drives were well defended by Hastings so the ball was spun out to Richard Russ who ran it back to the safe haven of his forwards, with good recycled ball number 7 Tom Bailey picked the ball up from the base, keeping a perfect body angle, and with the aid of number 6 Tim Allen drove over the line from 5 metres out for a great score. The conversion attempt was pulled just wide to make the score 13-5.

Park House had the bit between their teeth now and all could sense another score wasn’t far away. A ruck on halfway presented number 9 Nick Waddell with some slow but clean ball, Waddell produced a fine box kick from the base that landed perfectly on the Hastings 22. The full backs attempted clearance was charged down after a fantastic chase from number 6 Tim Allen, the ball fell for number 2 Glen Hastings who drew the full back out wide and slipped a nice pass on the inside to the supporting Allen who in turn fed number 4 Ben Hurst for the untouched gallop to the line. A fine score based solely on not giving up and keeping the pressure on the opposition, even when you are not in possession. Richard Russ slotted the conversion to take the score to 20-5.

From the kick off Hastings’ number 4 claimed the ball very well in the air to set up good field position for the visitors. The ball was spun out to the right wing who was tackled on the gain line. Park House were slow to re-set their defence from the kick-off allowing Hastings to break through centre field and ship it out to the left winger who beat his man to go over for a try in the left corner. It was a good finish by the young Hastings flyer. The conversion was missed to bring the scores to 20-10.

From the Park House kick off Hastings recycled the ball and set a ruck in centre field just inside their own half. The ball was spun back to the Hastings fly half but another fantastic chase saw number 6 Tim Allen charge down the clearance kick and beat the covering defender to the ball to pick up and score a fine individual try to the left hand side of the pitch. The conversion was missed to make the scoreline 25-10 with around 10 minutes to go.

Hastings certainly weren’t going to roll over and die. With 8 minutes left on the clock Hastings produced the try of the game, starting in their own 22, Hastings broke through a couple of sloppy tackles to run the ball up to half way. Some fine handling skills later saw the Hastings winger go over in the far right corner for what really was a very good score.

The conversion attempt was missed to make the score 25-15 with around 4 minutes to go.

The remainder of the game saw Hastings, in the true spirit of the game, really go for it with some nice rugby looking for another consolation score. Unfortunately for the visitors the clock was against them and the final whistle was blown to bring to an end a slightly scrappy but thoroughly enjoyable affair.

Final score 25-15.

So with the other results going our way Park House have moved off the bottom of the table for the first time this season. There were some fine performances, most notably from the back row of skipper Tom Bailey, Tim Allen and Tom McMurdo. Nick Waddell marshaled the game superbly from scrum half and number 3 Kev Tomkins was all over the pitch putting in some fine tackles and some bullocking runs. There is still plenty to work on so please make every effort to be at training as we prepare to visit Brighton in a fortnights time.

Can I also take this time to thank everyone who turned out to watch the boys on Saturday. It was really nice to see so many ‘wise’ faces on the touchline. Please keep coming, I know from speaking to the lads it really does mean a lot to have you there supporting them in the battle for survival.

And from the other side of the pitch:

There are two ways for H&B to view Saturday’s London League Three defeat.

The first is that it’s another nail in the relegation coffin against one of the only three sides below them in the league; and that they could barely muster two-thirds of the side who so triumphantly defeated fifth-placed Medway the previous week.

The second way to look at it is that though the handful of teenage backs in their squad had between them played less than a dozen first team games, these young tyros played major roles in three sparkling tries. And that against a side that has carved out five wins from its last six games in a dogged fightback against a harsh 10 point deduction, H&B started and ended the game with creative ambition and no little flair.

And statistically, if it weren’t for two uncharacteristic gaffes within the course of five minutes - a pair of clearance kicks, both charged down and touched down for a total of 12 points - H&B would have won this game.

But ‘if only’ cracks both ways, and if, during H&B’s darkest half hour either side of half-time, Park House had converted some of the half dozen golden scoring opportunities prevented either by their own errors or H&B’s last-ditch tackling, the end result would have justifiably been the same.

From early in the game the hosts’ tactics were clear: use the artillery boot of their fly half to pin H&B in their own 22, then lay aggressive siege.

H&B responded by varying their own attack-from-anywhere instincts with some kicking of their own - an aerial battle in which they were outgunned all game, despite assured catching and some wonderful running out of defence from their young back three.

H&B’s forwards, who had done so much towards last week’s win, found it harder against Park’s big pack, and the ball the visitors’ did win was slow. Worse, their line-outs, a banker for them all season, were slightly shaky, and fast attacking ball was at a premium.

Despite this, H&B were first on the score sheet. Kit Claughton took the ball on in front of the posts, and from the ruck it was whipped down the line for debut wing man-of-the-match Jake Stinson to force his way through a tackler for the touchdown.

From the kick-off H&B conceded a penalty, which Park converted to close the gap to 3-5.

An end-to-end game then turned into a siege by Park House, indiscipline by H&B allowing them to mount a series of varied attacks on the visitors’ line. After several let-offs for H&B, including several five metre scrums, the inevitable try came easily from the back of another scrum, leaving the half-time score 8-5.

Park continued in attritional mode after the break, booting the ball into H&B’s 22, and then working hard to keep them pinned there, notably their dynamic back row - a ploy the now accident-prone H&B seemed unable to counter.

A pushover try was quickly followed by the two charge-down tries, which transformed a close score to 25-5 - at which point H&B’s engine suddenly started firing again.

From a great catch by Jimmy Adams, the ball was moved beautifully through hands and worked upfield for Murray Whittington, who had just come on, to race in at the corner.

With minutes left, a well-worked lineout saw Christian Hollingsworth dance down the wing, and then through supporting quick hands - via an opponent’s head! - for Kit Claughton to dive over, and close the score to a more acceptable 25-15.

Ones shake last weeks cobwebs with solid performance against Crowborough

Park House welcomed Crowborough to Barnet Wood Road looking to put last weeks defeat well and truly behind them. Earlier in the season Crowborough defeated an injury ravaged Park House side 26-14 down in East Sussex so we knew it was going to be a tough game but the lads are fully focussed on this fight for survival. The game was officialed by referee Oliver Mantle who had made the long journey down from Harrogate as part of the referee exchange scheme.

From the Crowborough kick off the ball was knocked on so immediate possession was handed over to the opposition, it was not the start that Park House were looking for. Crowborough spent the first 15 minutes of the match with the ball in the Park House 22, only to be held at bay by some superb defence, something that has been worked on a lot in training this season and is really starting to show in our performances. The ability to make teams work extremely hard for their scores will always give us an opportunity to win the close matches. There were some ferocious tackles being put in, most notably a bone shuddering hit by number 4 Ashley Holdaway which resulted in the turnover of possession and allowed Park House to clear their lines and march up field.

Finally, it was Park House’s turn to have the ball. From a lineout on half way the ball was spun out to number 10 James Dawson who drew his opposite number and burst through the gap. A long miss pass from Dawson bounced very kindly for winger Steve Cheyne to gather and pin his ears back and beat his opposite man for a fine score in the left corner. It was the first time Park House had the ball and they used the possession to devestating effect. The conversion from out wide was missed. 5-0.

With Park House in the ascendency and playing some lovely rugby the second try wasn’t far away. This time the break came from number 15 Tom Boam, who was tackled just inside the Crowborough 22. The forwards recycled the ball superbly and built on the momentum with a series of pick and drives. With the ball secured in centre field midway into the Crowborough 22 scrum half Nick Waddell spun the ball to the blind side to the impressive James Dawson who, this time, dummied to winger Steve Cheyne and beat the scrambling defence to go over in the corner. The difficult conversion was missed to make the score 10-0 with about ten minutes of the half remaining. Crowborough had a player sent to the sin bin for persistent infringements in the build up to the score.

Park House really had the bit between the teeth now and sensed another score before half time. With some nice hands on the halfway line the back row contingent of skipper Tom Bailey, Tim Allen and Tom McMurdo combined wonderfully to penetrate the Crowborough defence and approach the 22. One unnecessarily forced pass was intercepted by the Folkestone 13 who broke away for what would have been a certain score had it not been for a superb last ditch cover tackle from number 14 Russell Bamford. Park House were penalised at the break down and Crowborough took the decision to put some points on the board by going for goal. Penalty slotted to make it 10-3.

With half time approaching and with Crowborough still with a man in the sin bin Park House fell asleep and it was Crowborough who looked like getting the next score. Some good pressure from the Crowborough forwards found themselves again in the Park House 22, a penalty was conceded for offside and again the decision was took to go for goal. Penalty converted to make it 10-6.

Half Time – 10-6

The second half started much the same as the first with Crowborough having most of the early possession. Park House got their hands on the ball on the half way line and after a nice break up the blind side from centre Chris Hay found James Dawson outside him. Dawson got away from his man and had winger Russell Bamford in support on the inside, he again dummied to Bamford to go for the line himself, having to use his strength to battle over for the score. In hindsight it would have been a better decision to pass to his supporting team mate but that doesn’t matter as long as you score. The conversion was missed to take the score to 15-6 after 15 minutes.

Park House had the opportunity to put the game to out of reach in the next phase of play. With possession and control in the Crowborough 22 Park looked certain to score. A series of pick and drives saw Park House camped on the Crowborough tryline but the opposition defended very well and eventually forced a knock on. From the scrum, which had been a very evenly matched contest all game, Crowborough cleared to touch and mounted an attack into Park house territory. Park were defending well but the pressure was really mounting, and it was only a matter of time before Crowborough got a try of their own. It came from god forward pressure creating an overlap that allowed the supporting Crowborough attacker to go over for a simple score.

The conversion was slotted to take the score to 15-13 with 10 minutes to go.

It was now Crowborough who looked most likely to get the next score but once again it was the Park House defence who won that mini battle. With Crowborough in possession on the halfway line a loose pass from the Crowborough 10 went to ground allowing number 14 Russell Bamford to get a boot to it and chip through, with two covering defenders to beat Bamford was first to the ball for a truly fantastic individual score. Park House were ecstatic and Crowborough were devestated. Number 13 Richard Russ slotted the conversion to make the score 22-13 with 4 minutes to go.

The final play of the game saw number 9 Nick Waddell break down the blindside from a ruck to produce a wonderful offload to the supporting Richard Russ who beat the last defender to go over for another nice score. Russ converted his own try to make the final score 29-13, although the official match card made it 27-13. I know Russy would never forgive me if I didn’t mention the two kicks he did get.

Final Score 27(29)-13

This was a fantastic performance from Park House, every time we were in possession our back line looked dangerous and likely to score. The pack worked tirelessly for 80 minutes in what was a hard fought contest. As is the Park House way we made the game a little harder for ourselves by allowing Crowborough to stay in touch. It was a valiant performance from the visiting Crowborough side but if Park House can just introduce a clinical killer edge to their performances games like this will be put away a lot more comfortably.

Hastings & Bexhill, on the back of an impressive win over Medway, visit Barnet Wood Road next week for what is a massive bottom of the table clash and a must win game for Park House if we want to stay up. Please make every effort to come down and support the boys, it means a lot to the lads.

And the other side from Crowborough

With 4 minutes of injury time to play Crowborough fought back to reduce the deficit to just 2 points at 15-13. What happened next was quite extraordinary.

Crowborough started this match the more lively of the two sides, with their pack in particular dominating their opposite numbers both in the tight and loose phases of play. However having won clean ball the advantage was negated when  ball carrier after ball carrier, took the ball back into contact, rather than seeking the offload to supporting players.

However in spite of this, it was ‘Boro who on several occasions in the first quarter had the better opportunity to open the scoring, but as they approached the  try line either a knock on, or handling infringement came to the Park rescue  relieving the pressure on the struggling defence.

The ‘Boro backs had had little to do during these initial skirmishes, and any ball they did have was kicked away, straight to the grateful Park three quarters who then began to show where their team’s real strength lay, by putting in several dangerous attacks that exposed the alignment weaknesses in the ‘Boro defence.

Park had the opportunity to put points on the board as ‘Boro infringed in front of their posts twice in quick succession, only for the kicks to go wide, but the encouragement that the Park backs had got from their initial forays into the ‘Boro half were soon to pay off, when the ‘Boro alignment was again exposed and some clever running off the ball, found the gap that allowed the overlap to be created. With the ‘Boro back row trapped unnecessarily in the ruck that was already lost, the extra cover was absent as the wing crashed over for the first score. The try was unconverted. Five minutes later the score was 10-0 as the move was repeated with a similar result.

With Park gaining confidence, another attack was intercepted by Burgess on his own 22, who travelled fully 50 metres before being brought down close to the park 22. With the ‘Boro support in attendance Park killed the ball, and Tyler slotted the kick to give the score line some respectability. 10-3

With half time approaching, the ‘Boro pack again drove their heavier but less disciplined opposition back towards their line, and as the maul collapsed the referee awarded another penalty which Tyler converted to bring the half to a halt at 10-6, but not before Walters had been binned for ten minutes and Atkin with a badly bruised back sustained moments earlier, replaced by #8 Marshall.

The second half started disastrously as the Park backs again exposed the defensive weakness of the reorganising 14 man ‘Boro side, and with the overlap put the right wing over for their third try which again went unconverted. 15-6

With Walters back on, ‘Boro started to use the limited amount of ball more constructively, and with a couple of well directed up and unders from Tyler; some excellent running lines by Price that kept the park defence honest. Thes e runs were supplemented by some decidedly robust runs from Walters, and as Crowborough started to operate more as a cohesive unit, by avoiding contact until after the off-load, rather than seeking it as in the first half , the Park dominance was for a time halted.

Time and again the ‘Boro pack led by veteran Rosier and supported by Martyn & Botterman, forced Park to back peddle at speed in the tight, and to infringe in the loose to prevent Crowborough scoring. As ‘Boro continued to apply the pressure the maul crashed over the line only for the referee to judge the ball to be held up, and went back for a previously awarded penalty. Boro chose the 5 metre scrum option and as the pressure came on, moving slowly forward, ‘Boro were accused of handling in the scrum allowing a reeling Park to relieve their line.

Crowborough were not finished with this phase of attacking play, and the whole side again returned to the Park 22 with an excellent period of play involving both backs and forwards keeping the ball alive and providing support. At last ,as the pack supplied quick ball , Marshall fed Tyler and in a classic ball handling move, Price drew his man before off loading to Walters, who in turn stepped inside straightening the line before putting Burgess away to score out wide. Tyler converted to bring the score to 15-13, with the referee confirming just four more minutes of injury time to play, and with Crowborough on a roll.

Requiring just three points from a penalty or drop goal, the tactic would be to play the ball deep into the Park half and wait for the mistakes to appear. However from the kick off, ‘Boro packed their back line with players and from within their own 22 proceeded to pass the ball without straightening or committing the opposition defence, so that by the time the ball reached the left wing the whole of the Park defence were there, waiting. Inevitably the ball went to ground and an errant Park boot chipped the ball along the touchline into the ‘Boro in-goal area. Two ‘Boro defenders gave chase and overtook the winger, just as the ball bobbled backwards to the chasing winger who got a finger to it to record the try, which was then well converted to take the score to 22-13. As cruel as that seemed, worse was to come.

From the kick off the replacement who had just come on for the injured fly half, was put away on the left wing, and ‘Boro, having come so close to stealing the match, only to see the advantage fade away, simply ran out of defenders and could only stare in disbelief as the line was crossed and the try converted, to take the score to an unrepresentative 29-13.

A return to winning ways will greatly help the confidence of this young side that is beginning to show glimpses of promise, particularly when keeping the ball alive at close quarters. Crowborouh are starting a  run of strong fixtures and good performances against Brighton at home next week and East Grinstead away, the week after, would be a good start .

Twos steal last minute victory in rough game over the road

Team sheet

Kev
Jon Cheyne
Jinksy
Joe G
Dave
Andy Smith
Clarky
Alex P

Ad
Pete
James Whitney
AMB
James
Ed Hockey
Pat 'pain is just weakness' Bunnage

From the warm park looked a far more alert and awake than we were last week. That was until Dave injured his knee two minutes before kick off. I run to find kit Dave decided he would play on with quite a noticable limp. Didn't get my kit on Dave looked better with one leg.

Game stated with some great park house pressue which resulted in a penalty under the post which Pete M duly converted. From the kick offf park put Bromley under pressure again with some good backs moves and strong forward running. Another penatly resulted from the posessionthat was missed a knats **** wide by Pete.

Some erroneous play by Jinksy resulted in him being sinned binned for killing the ball (thanks god the ref didn't see what he was really doing.

Bromley did what has been expected from all of their teams recently which is bringing extremly strong runners on to the ball and crashing well. They were very limited in their kicking play which played to the park advantage. Eventually there runners managed to break down the park defense for one to go over under the posts. This was either missed or converted not sure to be honest.

One of the Bromley players ended up sin binned for offside. Park finished strong but with a massive penalty count agaisnt them which prevented scoring more. Park defense stood steadfast for the majority of the half with James, Clarky, Cheyne and Smith putting immense work around the park.

Second half

Park started under the cosh a lttle but some magnificent defense kept Bromley at bay. The game was one of the more aggressive all season with strong running and defense by both teams. Bromley managed to work their way up to the Park line with penalties going against Park left right and centre for stupid things such as offside and ruck infringements. James P got sinned binned for a tackle on the man without the ball and without arms a little harsh but we will let it go as Bromley had an undeserved sin bin as well. Bromley missed a under the posts chance to extend there score. The Park then kick into overdrive making tackle after tackle after tackle. The best example of this was Clarky and James Whitney making a combination of probably 10 tackles with Bromley losing twenty yards and James and Clarky ending up on the other side of the pitch without another Park player having to make a tackle. Great job guys!

Park started using their backs a bit more and with ball going to hand there was very little Bromley could do to stop it. Ed making great runs down the wing and Pete controlling the backs as he has shown since he joined us earlier in the year.

After a penalty in the corner Pete crashed itr up follow by Medwell Bates and James WHitney. Pat eventually crashed over to score a superb try. Pete M duly converted the extra points. Park defended well to finish game and held out, Ed Hockey cleared the ball for a superb win.

MOM Clarky was everywhere, made every tackle he had too and more.

Notible mentions James Whitney, Alex Medwell Bates, Joe Gleeson, Dave Miles for playing with one leg all game and everybody else.

Scorpions face tough opposition at Old Alleynians

It was an experienced PH 3s side that turned up to play Old Alleynians, worried by the scurrilous rumour that Bob had heart trouble - although nowhere near as worried as Bob might have liked.

The teamsheet looked something like this

1. Bob
2. Keith
3. Greg
4. Ben
5. Steve
6. Rob - first game since school and did us proud, he'd better ******* turn up next week now
7. Swindles, returning to the captain's armband
8. Jacek

9. Kev
10. Toddy
11. Pete
12. Greasy aka the Goat
13. Prio senior
14. Prio junior
15. Will

The game started at a high pace and after fluffing a few chances to clear our lines we paid the price after the ref ruled that I'd failed to hold their player up over the try line (I thought he was right, their player told me after the game he thought I'd actually held him up). This opened the floodgates as Park House failed to keep hold of the ball and failed to deal with an OA's back line full of strong runners.

We played ourselves back into competition a little, mainly off the efforts of a very dominant pack that proceeded to win just about every scrum in the first half. Unfortunately failures in communication between Kev and Toddy meant we didn't make the most of this. OAs continued to press and only some poor passing from them - backed up by very aggressive defence when the ball was loose - and great last ditch tackling from the back 3 prevented a cricket score being posted at half time. The hilight was probably Will chasing down one of their backs to scrag him and win the ball back metres away from a tryline.

We brought on one of their players in the backs at half-time and Mogwai into the second row - big Rob the new boy went off allowing me to move to 7 in a back row shuffle that saw the man mountain better known as Swindles moved to 8, while Ben Russ faked an injury in the hope he'd be able to dodge getting manshamed by his older brother in a couple of weeks.

The 3s went back out there with a newfound determination and played some good rugby. The best spell ended with us besieging their tryline for a good five minutes or so until in a rush of blood to the head, Kev went for the cross field kick. Conversely, they too got a series of five metres scrums with me and Will managing to hold up tries twice in a row. We cleared our lines with a series of good kicks, the best coming from me (no false modesty here) and a series of turnovers kept the game in the middle of the pitch for most of the time. The 2nd half score stayed 0-0 until about the last ten minutes, when tiring legs allowed the OAs back line to run in a slew of tries.

Fair play to OAs, they had a good team with plenty of strong runners (particularly their 13) and lots of fitness and were good value for their win - but from a PH perspective we'll be left ruing the lapses in communication that gave the ball away so cheaply.

Man of the Match - Despite strong showings from all of the back 3 defensively (including Prio jr, who wasn't mentioned much as I am a selfish ******* and deliberately kept the defensive fun of 11 for myself), the only possible candidate is a combined vote for the front row who gave us complete scrum dominance all day.

Appalling conditions and Christmas cobwebs lead to break in streak

Park House made the tedious journey to unbeaten top of the table Heathfield & Waldron looking to continue the momentum from the four wins before the Christmas break. The plan was to have a good warm up to blow off any cobwebs and to compete in what was always going to be a very tough game. Unfortunately all plans for the warm up were scuppered on arrival at the ground, the pitch was still covered in snow and in some areas was completely unplayable. The Heathfield hierarchy successfully pleaded with the local Church Parish to let us play on their pitch so with 25 minutes to go to kick off we made the short journey to the very waterlogged ground. A short warm up later and the game kicked off.

From the kick off it was obvious that this was always going to be a war of attrition, the middle third of the pitch was under 2 inches of water, and the team who played the conditions best would be the most successful. Unfortunately for Park House it was Heathfield who started the better and got the first score. The powerful Heathfield backline broke the Park House defence to enter the 22, a fine tackle by number 15 Richard Russ prevented them from going over for the try, from the resulting scrum the pressure proved too much for Park House and the supporting Heathfield player took the offload well and went over just to the right of the posts. What should have been a relatively simple conversion was missed. 5-0.

Park House kicked off and a fine chase saw them overturn the Heathfield pack. The ball was spun out to number 10 James Dawson who put a delicately weighted chip through for number 12 Chris Hay to chase and drive back the retreating Heathfield winger. The ball was slow in coming back and the referee eventually awarded an attacking scrum to Park House on the Heathfield 5m line. The scrum was won but again the conditions forced Park House into a knock on and the turnover of possession. Heathfield cleared their lines and marched their way up field with a series of rucks and mauls.

The half was approaching it's climax when Heathfield scored their second try. Heathfield broke though the ten channel and again worked their way into the Park House 22 eventually beating the determined cover defence to score out wide on the left. Conversion missed again in awful kicking conditions. 10-0.

Half time - 10-0

The second saw Park House attacking up the slope. With around ten minutes in Heathfield gained possession and marched into the Park House 22 again. The winger offloaded and the ball went to ground and forced a knock on from the supporting Heathfield number 8 which the referee deemed to have gone backwards and allowed play to go on, this was to prove fatal for Park House. The Heathfield number 8, who had proved to be a strong runner all game, drove close the Park House try line and after some good quick recycling allowed his support pack to drive over the line for a try. Conversion missed. 15-0.

Both teams were reduced to 14 men after an altercation at a lineout, Park House losing replacement prop Peter Jinks and Heathfield losing their number 5. The fourth try was a carbon copy of the third, including the knock on (which the referee failed to give again much to my bemusement), again with the pressure being put on in the Park House 22 and eventually the defence gave in. Conversion missed again. 20-0 with around 15 minutes to go.

Heathfield were very good at converting in the red zone and we knew that we had to play the game in their half which is exactly what Park House did for the remainder of the game. It was Park House's turn to pressurize the Heathfield try line with some powerful forward runs and well worked backs moves. Heathfield were giving away alot of penalties, five in total all in the red zone, and again to the bemusement of the Park House management no-one went to the bin and no penalty try was awarded. Number 15 Richard Russ made a penetrating run to be bought down just short of the try line, it was at the resulting ruck that I saw one of the most cowardly acts in the game. The Heathfield 12 proceeded to land four ferocious stamps to the head of number 15 Richard Russ, who was trapped defenceless at the base of the ruck. Tempers flared and the referee, in my complete astonishment, awarded a penalty to Heathfield. They cleared their lines to leave Park House feeling extremely hard done by.

With the clock winding down and the atmosphere somewhat sour Park House lost prop Glen Hastings to the sin bin for and infringement at a ruck. Heathfield made the extra man count and went over for their fifth try. Conversion missed. 25-0. The final five minutes petered out and the whistle was blown to bring to an end this top versus bottom London South East 3 clash.

Final Score - 25-0.

The scoreline was rather flattering to Heathfield, especially if you take away the two knock ons in the build ups, but they are a very good side who no doubt will win this league and compete in London South East 2 next season.

The Park House players should be very proud of their performance in what were horrendous conditions and with limited preparation time. The set-piece was very good all day, winning all of our own ball and on occasion even stealing against the head.

There is still alot of work to do so make every effort to be at training on Wednesday in preparation for the visit of Crowborough on Saturday for what is another must win game.

Please come down and support the lads on Saturday, it really does mean alot to them to have some of the 'wiser' heads on the touchline.

Tight victory for ones means target of zero before Christmas is achieved

Park House traveled to Kidbrooke to take on a high flying Charlton Park side who had beaten us earlier in the season at Barnet Wood Road. Conditions as you can probably imagine were not ideal but after the referee’s pitch inspection the game was given the green light to go ahead. So with the line’s painted blue and the rest of the field covered, quite beautifully might I add, in glorious white snow the game kicked off.

Charlton Park had the best of the opening 20 minutes, using their very effective rolling maul to gain momentum and work their way into the Park House 22. It was only some great Park House defence that prevented Charlton Park from going over for an early try. With just under 20 mins gone Charlton Park had a penalty in front of the posts which their kicker duly slotted in what were very difficult under foot conditions. 3-0 to Charlton Park.

This score seemed to galvanise the Park House team, the remainder of the half saw some wonderful rugby. Number 10 James Dawson made a series of lovely breaks making good ground each time. From one of these breaks Park House gained a lineout in the Charlton Park 22, with the ball secured, the pack worked their way to centre field. The ball was spun right where number 15 Richard Russ was brought down just short of the line. The ball was recycled well and after a series of pick and drives Park House simply put the ball through the hands to utilise the overlap for number 5 Ashley Holdaway to go over in the corner for a well worked try. Richard Russ missed the very difficult conversion to leave the score 3-5.

The remainder of the half was disrupted with a series of injuries and stoppages, both sides were struggling to get any consistency and both guilty of giving away penalties when in possession. Richard Russ took full advantage of one of these penalties with a beautifully slotted goal from just outside the 22 to make the score 3-8 at half time.

Half time: 3-8

The second half started with Park House attacking the Charlton Park try line. For 10 minutes Park House were camped deep in the 22, we had three attempted drives held up over the line with some great defence from Charlton Park. Eventually we gave away a penalty for holding on allowing Charlton Park to clear the line and relieve some pressure. Charlton Park worked their way down to Park House territory and earned themselves a penalty in front of the posts which was duly converted to make the score 6-8. Park House were left to rue another missed opportunity.

Not for long though. From the kick off, Park House gained possession. Number 9 Nick Waddell broke down the blindside on halfway and fed number 11 Chidi Nzekwue to burst through the gap and enter the Charlton Park 22. Waddell fed number 10 James Dawson who lofted a delightful cross-field kick to number 14 Russell Bamford who beat his man for pace to the bouncing ball to chip through and win the race to the try line for a great score just to the left of the uprights. The conversion was unfortunately pulled to the left to make the score 6-13 with 20 minutes to go.

Charlton Park came back very strong in the remainder of the game. Their dominant scrum was causing Park House all sorts of problems and a penalty was given away in front of the Park House posts, the shot at goal was successful to take the score to 9-13 with fifteen to go.

Park House had a chance to score another try and make the score line a little more comfortable but we just couldn’t seem to finish it. From a lineout in the Charlton Park 22, Park House set a rolling maul and worked superbly to the try line, from the back of the maul number 4 Olly Morris broke and was tackled just short, the ball was recycled and a series of pick and drives resulted in a knock on and turnover of possession. Charlton Park were awarded a penalty for an infringement at the ensuing breakdown and cleared to touch.

The final 5 minutes was all Charlton Park pressure. Using their big runners, most notably the number 8 and number 3, Charlton Park sensed a winning score and were finishing the game very strongly. The Park House defence was stretched but seemingly holding strong with some bone crunching tackles going in. Charlton Park had possession on the try line in centre field with options either side, they chose to pick and drive at the base and go for what would have been a killer score. Fortunately for Park House the attacking player ran into his own man to give away a penalty and most importantly possession. From the penalty, number 10 James Dawson cleared the ball off the pitch to bring the final whistle and Park House celebrations.

Full time: 9-13

So there we have it, the boys have reached the target set by themselves of being back on zero points by Christmas. This was a truly superb performance, not only did we score two lovely tries but we also kept one of the high flyers of the league from crossing our line.

Games resume on the 9th of January where we take on second place team (insert name here) where we intend to move in to positive points for the second time this season.

I hope you all enjoy the break and have a very Merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Ones put on strong first half performance and then hang on

Park House welcomed the visit of Medway to Barnet Wood Road for another must win game. Looking to build on the momentum of recent weeks Park House fielded a strong side against a team at the top end of the table and a team we have struggled against in recent seasons.

The conditions were, what I would call, perfect rugby conditions. A light shower just before kick off meant the ground would be a little soft underfoot and a slight chill in the easterly breeze meant kicking could be a little on the tricky side but when the game started we were met with a pleasant burst of sunshine.

From the kick off, playing towards the clubhouse, Park House took the ascendancy and worked the ball very well at every given opportunity. With a great rolling maul from a lineout on the Medway 22 the ball was spun out to number 10 James Dawson who found number 15 Richard Russ with a lovely miss pass who quickly offloaded to number 13 Tom Boam to beat his man and score just to the left of the uprights. Richard Russ slotted the resulting conversion to make it 7-0 after seven minutes.

Medway kicked off and from an infringement were awarded a penalty just inside the Park House half, the Medway number 10 stepped up and slotted a very very good penalty. 7-3 after ten minutes.

Park House didn’t let this score against the run of play affect them and hit straight back. From the kick off Park House turned over Medway possession and worked their way into the Medway 22 with a series of pick and drives. It was from some very slow ball that number 9 Nick Waddell fed James Dawson who found number 8 Tom Mcmurdo, who fed number 3 Glen Hastings who unselfishly spun the ball to number 11 Russell Bamford for the simplest of finishes. Medway didn’t know what had hit them and Park House were playing some lovely rugby. The conversion, by Richard Russ, was pulled just to the left of the posts to make the score 12-3 after 15 minutes.

With the bit between their teeth Park House didn’t let up, playing in the opposition half Medway were awarded a scrum. The decision before the game was to bulk up the pack for this game so the pairing of Ashley Holdaway and Olly Morris in the second row engine room proved their worth when Park House won the ball against the head and a penalty in front of the posts. Richard Russ stepped up and slotted the kick to make it 15-3 after 20 minutes.

Medway did venture into the Park House half very briefly to test the Park House defence but Park managed to clear their lines and keep the very talented opposition exactly where they wanted them, pinned deep in their 22. Park House were building some very good phases of possession, from the base of a ruck the ball was spun out to James Dawson who chose a beautifully weighted cross field kick to almost find Russell Bamford who ever so slightly hesitated to take the ball for what would have been a certain score. Knock on, scrum to Medway.

Park House continued to pressurise their shell shocked visitors into mistakes, from a penalty Park House kicked to the corner and set up the attacking lineout. With the lineout brilliantly secured by number 7 Ben Hurst, Park set up the rolling maul and worked their way to the try line. Brought down just short Park used the very effective pick and drive for captain fantastic number 6 Tom Bailey to sneak over right in the corner. A very very difficult conversion, from Richard Russ, missed out wide made the score 20-3.

So that brought to an end one of the best first halves of rugby I have seen from a Park House side in a long time. Everything clicked and the commitment levels were amazing allowing the team to use the full box of tricks, the balance and decision making was spot on.

Half Time – 20-3

The second half was a very different story, it was all Medway and they proved exactly why they were fourth in the league. The half time team talk sorted out many of the issues they had in the first half and they really came out firing.

It was around 10 minutes into the second half that Medway got their next score, relying on the boot of their number 10 to slot a penalty to take the score to 20-6. Medway’s pressure was relentless and every time Park House cleared their lines Medway would come back with some good breaks and great phase play. Park House were guilty of piling the pressure on themselves with a very high penalty count.

From a series of penalties Medway found themselves deep in the Park House 22, after two failed attempts at goal they decided to keep the ball in hand and the number 8 scored a well worked try through the stretched Park House defence. The conversion was on target to bring the scoreline to 20-13. The game was really on.

The Park House defence was working tirelessly.

From another penalty in front of our posts Medway took a straight forward shot at goal to make the score 20-16 with eight or so minutes to go.

Those final eight minutes were extremely tough for the home supporters and Medway sensed victory was in their grasp. But it was the Park House defence that won the battle, every tackle was made and from a Medway lineout on the Park House five yard line number 9 Nick Waddell managed to pressure the Medway 9 into a fumble and cleared the ball off the pitch to bring the final whistle.

Full Time – 20-16

It was a great performance from all the players, substitutes and coaching staff. And as I mentioned earlier, the first half was some of the most precise rugby I have seen in a long time and it is all coming from the efforts put into training. A special mention for Captain Tom Bailey whose leadership and decision making is proving vital to our survival this season.

I would also like to thank the Medway coach who straight after the game came over to the boys and wished them all the best in our survival this season, it really does mean a lot and proves that Medway are a class act on and off the pitch and are gracious in defeat.

So now we find ourselves on –2 points with one game left before the Christmas break, with high flying Charlton Park away next week. What a present zero points would be... Please get over to Charlton Park next Saturday and support the boys, it makes so much difference to have you on the sidelines and we can expect a large home crowd there as they have a President's lunch.

The view from the other side of the pitch:

Medway travelled to an improving Park House team fighting for survival and were beaten on the back of a terrible first half performance. Credit to Park House they battled from the first minute to the last and no one can take away the value of their victory.

Medway will rue several clear cut scoring chances that were butchered but overall Park House were the hungrier team and deserved their win. The young Medway team will do well to learn the lesson provided by the experienced Park House team.

The game kicked off an a rain sodden extremely soft playing surface and the home players were soon ahead when missed tackles allowed an early try which was converted to put Park House 7-0 ahead. Glen Wadsworth replied with a penalty to reduce it to 7-3.

Park House came back and two further tries from driving mauls saw them extend their lead to 20-3. Medway then woke up and created to clear overlaps with the line at their mercy both passes were dropped and Medway’s opportunity to narrow the gap was gone.

The second half was dominated by Medway. Again overlaps were ignored and kicking opportunities missed. All Medway could manage was a converted try by Roger Rhyneheart and two penalties from Glen Wadsworth. Medway pounded the home line for the final 15 minutes but Park Houses defence was stout and held firm.

The day belonged to Park House and they deserved it. The visitors will have to have a long look at themselves and re-discover the hunger and passion that has seen them win three league titles in recent seasons.

Twos in tight and well fought game against Beckenham

Team List

Kev T
Dave G
Aaron
Dave Miles
Clarky
Andy S
Jon C
Alex P

Ad S
Pete M
Olly Carr
Pat B
James P
Ayo
Shaggy

Both Park and Becks seems quite fortunate to have a few uni and youngsters back and both fielded very strong teams, unfortunately we did not have any subs, again. Park started the stronger of the teams with Aaron, Dave and Kev dominating the first half scrums. The intensity of the team was far above where i have seen it before. Rucks were being hit at pace and with commitment and we turned over some good ball. Ad and Pete linked up well, with Pete showing minimal if any ring rust getting back on the field.

After some good backs play from Beckenham they ended with a penalty and converted for three points.

Park drove back down the field from the resulting kick off and got a penalty which Pete M converted with ease.

Some immense hits were being put in by both Shaggy and big James in the centres. As well as this all of the back wetre making excellant breaks throughout the first half.

In the first we were unlucky one or two drop balls or passes going to hand and we could have been 20 up. Not to take anything away from Beck who defended well all half.

Pete M was a brilliant addition to the twos, even with 4 years out he still had a great pass and boot (definately) and a step and go that no one could emulate (maybe)

Half time 3-3

Second half kicked off and all changed a little the strengthened up their front row and put together some terrific passages of play. Beck managed to camp on our line for a time but some resolute defending kept Park House in it.

Shaggy put in a bone crunching tackle against their 8 that was heard all over all of the pitches. Dave Miles Clarky and Andy smith were doing all of the down and dirty stuff putting heads on the line.

We were a little lucky to keep Jon C on the pitch for a high tackle but as i think the ref understood it was enthusiasm not malicious.

Park with some superb kicking from James managed to get down in there corner and with a superb drive from the forwards, Ad S greedily nicked the ball to score his third try in two weeks. Pete from the corner made a fine art of a near miss a just let his shot fall short.

Park have had a habit of letting it slip this season so concentration was needed and was shown to finish out a terrific game.

Final score Beck 3 PH 8

Both teams put in great perfromances and should be proud. I think we took them on at their strongest point which says alot for the caliber of our players when everyone is about, (imagine if they all trained?)

MOM - has to go to Clarky and Dave Miles - Clarky debut, showed he is a real solid performer. Dave played like i have never seen before and is making the progression we all hoped he would make.

Notable mentions -

Aaron, great debut, showed a hell of a lot of potential
James, Ayo and Pat - All looked v dangerous with ball in hand
Pete - controlled the backs impecably, like hes never been away, if he survived the night would love to have him back
Shaggy, Dave G, Alex P - Great as always

Next week Old Becc's at home, another very winnable game then a break for Christmas.

For All we are going to play the PH Old Phruckers on the 2nd Jan can anyone who wants a game for the Paul Russ Select Young C*nts please let me know.

Ones get another step closer to zero point target before Christmas

After last weeks impressive win at home to Folkestone, Park House traveled to old rivals Whitstable knowing nothing but a win would do. Conditions were tough for both sides with a very boggy pitch and some strong winds.

Park House played down the slope in the first half and after some early pressure from the Whitstable pack Park cleared their lines and played most of the half in the opposition 22. The Park House pack were making some good ground in the loose utilising the pick and drive and spinning the ball out wide whenever the opportunity arose.

It was from a well worked rolling maul that number 9 Richard Gough fed number 10 James Dawson who shipped the ball out wide just on the edge of the Whitstable 22 for number 15 Richard Russ to break, only to be tackled just short of the Whitstable try line. Some quick clearing out from the number 14 Chidi Nzekwue and the back row allowed Richard Gough quick ball at scrum half to again feed James Dawson for a simple finish in the blindside corner. In what were very blustery conditions Richard Russ missed a very difficult conversion attempt from out wide. 0-5.

In the next ten minutes the game became a little scrappy and tempers began to flare with both sides being guilty of silly indiscretions. Penalties were being awarded thick and fast and it was from one of these Whitstable had a shot at goal which sailed just wide. From the resulting drop out the Park defence chased superbly with number 5 Ben Hurst bringing down the full back, Whitstable just managed to recycle the ball but a wayward pass allowed James Dawson to collect the ball and dart for the line, with only the covering full back to beat the ball was knocked on in the tackle. Opportunity gone and still only 0-5 with the conditions in our favour. Park House knew they need to keep the pressure on and take full advantage of the slope.

Entering the final ten minutes of the first half Park House were once again camped just outside the Whitstable 22, after a couple of pick and drives the ball was spun to Ben Hurst, standing in the fly half position, who quickly assessed his options and decided to break down the blind side, beating the first defender to offload to Richard Russ who powerfully entered the Whitstable 22 to pass to number 14 Chidi Nzekwue who cut a beautiful inside line to score. Again the conversion was narrowly missed. 0-10.

Half Time Score - 0-10

With some wise words from the coaching staff at half time Park House came out firing, from the kick off Park worked their way into the Whitstable 22 building phase after phase of pressure with some lovely pick and drives from Captain Tom Bailey, playing at number 8, and scrum half Richard Gough. At the next ruck, midway into the Whitstable 22, Park House broke down the blind side with Richard Russ, attracting the covering defence, he approached the corner flag and flicked the ball back inside to number 11 Russell Bamford for the simplest of finishes but again the deadly knock on was to be our downfall. Whitstable cleared their lines from the resulting scrum, an area they were dominant in all day, and proceeded to play some rugby in the Park House half.

Whitstable had the bit between their teeth and were starting to build some nice phases together, working their way into the Park House 22. The Park defence never really looked like being breached from open play, however, we were starting to give away an awful lot of penalties deep into our 22, it was from one of these penalties that the referee warned us that we were in danger of giving away a penalty try. Whitstable chose to use their dominant scrum and from that scrum the referee stuck to his words and awarded Whitstable a penalty try. With the conversion right in front of the sticks successfully slotted it was 7-10 with just over five minutes to go.

From the kick off Whitstable fed the ball out to their dangerous looking number 13 to break the first tackle and enter the Park House half, at the ruck Park House gave away a silly penalty for offside. The Whitstable number 10 quite rightly had a shot at goal, which unfortunately for them hit the post and bounced into the arms of Nzekwue who tidied up brilliantly allowing Park to clear their lines and march up field. Working their way up the field and into the 22 Park House were awarded a penalty and a chance to play the final minutes in Whitstables 22, no sooner had the penalty been awarded though it was reversed for a silly fracas. Whitstable pinged the ball into the Park House half for their put in to the lineout in what was to be the final play of the game. They won their own lineout ball and shipped it out looking for that winning try, when for some reason they decided to try a chip over the top on the edge of the Park House 22, number 14 Chidi Nzekwue managed to claim the ball and call the mark, he quickly hoofed the ball up the field and the chase was brilliant. Whitstable attempted to break from their own half but a knock on brought the final whistle.

PH 10. Whitstable 7.

The view from the other side of the pitch:

Whitstable failed to take the opportunity to put further clear water between themselves and fellow strugglers, Park House on Saturday. The visitors, currently struggling to wipe out a 10 point deduction recently awarded against them, took another step towards this with this very narrow but deserved win at the Chaucer Ground.

Even so, the Blues came within a whisker of drawing the match in the last few minutes of the match in dramatic fashion. A magnificent 40-metre penalty attempt by Rob Dengate hit the upright to deny his team a share of the League points.

The home team introduced a newcomer, Seci Kalow from Fiji for his first match, at outside centre, and he did more than enough to warrant a regular place in the team. However, playing down the slope, the visitors put the home team under much pressure in the early stages of the first half. There seemed to be far more urgency and drive from the Park House side, which was resisted only by some dour but effective Whitstable defence.

Gradually, the Blues managed to acquire some possession to move into the visitors’ 25-metre zone and in the 15th minute, Dengate narrowly missed a good chance to score when he failed to convert a penalty kick after an offside decision.

Most of the Blues’ kicking game, in fact, was rather inaccurate whilst the Park’s outside half was finding his target to clear his lines and often gain ground with interest whenever the home team attacked. However, it was slightly against the run of play that they scored.

Blues’ full back, Paul Lyttle, was caught in possession without any colleague support just outside his 22-metre line. Winning the resultant ruck, the visitors quickly shipped the ball outside and, despite some brave tackling by the home defenders, released their right wing to slip through to score a good try; surprisingly, the conversion kick was missed.

Some good possession won by the Whitstable forwards then gave the home team backs a chance to stretch their legs but unfortunately, some of the passing tended to be slightly behind the receivers, giving the Park defence time to snuff out the danger.

Further pressure from the visitors then threatened again with a clear break through the Whitstable mid-field and it took a brilliant head-on tackle from Lyttle to save the day. However, with half-time beckoning and the advantage of the slope after the break, things looked promising for the home team, especially as they seemed defensively in control of the play.

Then a strong run down the middle by one of the Park flank forwards burst through two attempted tackles and a winning run found quick hands outside to put their left winger over for a second try. The difficult conversion kick failed again, leaving the score at 10-0 to the Blues’ opponents.

Despite having the slight slope in their favour after half-time, it took ages for the Blues to break out. Indeed, ten minutes in, the visitors missed two easy chances to score when they missed a penalty kick and then dropped a final scoring pass with the line at their mercy.

The match was now cut and thrust but for the final 20 minutes, the Blues were on top. Inspired by some excellent drives from the pack and some thrusting runs from threequarters, Ed Lilley, Seci Kalow and Josh Booty, they forced the Park back. Finally, 10 minutes from the end, the visitors illegally tried to stop a certain pushover try from a 5-metre scrum. The referee immediately and correctly awarded a penalty try, which Dengate converted.

Then, with only seconds remaining, Whitstable’s last chance came when the Park transgressed at a ruck 40 metres out. The penalty kick from Dengate veered at the last moment to strike the post to dash his players’ hopes of saving the match. The disappointment was not lessened by the general acceptance that on the basis of the greater number of scoring chances created alone, the visitors’ win was deserved, narrow though it was.

Scorpions in good win after brave performance from a shortened Brocks side

Not sure how to write this one you really had to have been there but here goes.

First off big thanks to Old Brocks who worked hard to get a game despite only having 7-10 players at 2:00. We decided to go ahead with Greasy stepping in to ref the game and Steve Alysford playing for them. It became a 12 v 13 game.

Team list

1. Greg
2. Keith
3. Eoin
4. Joe Gleeson
5. Ben Russ
6. Dave Gregory
7. Pete Long

8.  and 11. Jon Cheyne

9. Ad Saunders
10. Kev Mullins

12. Alex Phillips
13. Clarky

15. Toddy

Steve Alysford played well for both teams at 6

Park started well with some good passages of play which allowed Adam to break into the small sliver of space on the blind side, allowing him to run in from his own 22 from the back of a ruck. He duly converted the conversion.

Park should be proud that not only did they manage to contain Brocks in the scrums they managed to nick them a fair few times as well.

Next try came from Jon Cheyne who broke from 8 (or wing) where he managed to outpace there entire team. He then duly converted his own try.

Jon scored again in quick succession and then missed his conversion.

Jon then dropped a perfectly acceptable pass from inside centre Alex Phillips to evade the jug. It has been noted.

During this half Park managed to play with a bit of tempo and were unlucky not to make the most or the natural overlaps.

Half PH 19 - Brocks 0

With the second half park managed to put together great phases but were unable to finish until the last twenty due to extremly spirited defence from Brocks.

Joe Gleeson put on a barnstorming performance in the second row and was rightly rewarded with a try, after a champagne move involving Toddy (I know!), Phillips and Ad Saunders, in the second half.

Ad Saunders then completed the PH scoring with another under the posts which Rob Todd converted.

Brocks determined not to go down without a fight managed to scored a well worked try in the final minutes which they converted.

Final score 33 - 7

Notable mentions:

Clarky (debut), Greasy (good reffing despite abuse), Jon Cheyne (played two positions), Steve (for playing for both teams twice during the game), Mullins for boshing both of there back rows at fly half)

Old Brocks for working with us to ensure a match was played.

MOM Joe Gleeson truely awesome performance in the second row.

Really good performance from the pack especially and was thoroughly entertaining rugby to watch from the sidelines. Would say the score flattered PH with the additional man paying dividends all day.

Well done both teams

Next week Christmas drinks after game as both first and third teams are at home, and twos are local at Beckenham.

One reach minus 6 points after win against Folkstone

Park House fielded a strong side for the visit of mid table Folkestone on a bitterly cold November afternoon knowing that we had to start winning quickly if we wanted to overturn the 10 point deduction that had been handed out to us.

It was Folkestone who started the game brightest, building phases of pressure in the Park 22 for a good fifteen minutes but the Park defence stood its ground allowing Folkestone only to get 3 points from a penalty for hands in the ruck. Their only points of the game and Park hadn’t touched the ball yet.

The next 10 minutes were played in midfield with both sides giving away penalties and turning over possession a little too easily. A misplaced Folkestone kick was fielded by Park House allowing number 12 Chris Hay to break the line and sprint in under the posts untouched. The Folkestone 11 did his side no favours as rather than cover the break he was more interested in fighting his opposite number, drawing in a couple more Folkestone players to break up the fracas giving Park House open field to run through. Number 15 Richard Russ converted to make it 7-3.

From the kick off Park managed to turnover possession just outside the Folkestone 22 and win a penalty and I think a Folkestone player was sent to the bin for persistent infringements, with just over 10 minutes to go to half time the decision was made to have a shot at goal which number 15 Richard Russ duly slotted. 10-3.

The remaining 5 minutes were spent with Folkestone attacking deep into the Park 22, from a lineout Park House number 7 Ben Hurst was sent to the Sin Bin for taking a player out in the air leaving both sides with 14 men. But again the Park defence held strong and the whistle was blown.

Half time 10-3

The second half started with Park attacking from the kick off. Some great pick and drives saw Park work up the pitch and earn themselves a penalty. The kick at goal was pulled to the left ever so slightly. Park kept the pressure on though and wouldn’t let Folkestone out of their half, inevitably there was another penalty for infringing at the ruck which Richard Russ made no mistake with taking the score to 13-3. Folkestone soon had a penalty attempt of their own which was missed.

The next 10 or so minutes was spent in midfield again with both sides playing a game of cat and mouse, Park trying not to make silly mistakes and Folkestone trying to build pressure and get a score. It was the Park House defence that won that mini battle and another Folkestone player was sent to the bin. Folkestone were unfortunate to lose a couple of players to what looked like serious injuries – we hope they make speedy recoveries.

With time running out Folkestone were having to run pretty much everything. Park House defended astutely and turned over a lot of ball allowing us to clear our lines on several occasions. It was with roughly ten minutes to go that the game saw its fourth yellow card and this Folkestone players second, resulting in a sending off for a dangerous tackle on number 15 Richard Russ. The decision looked a little harsh but you run the risk when you have already been booked. Folkestone down to 14 for the remainder of the game.

From the penalty Park kicked to touch and through the very effective pick and drives worked their way to the Folkestone 22. Another penalty was awarded to Park House and Richard Russ stepped up to make the score 16-3. Park House could have added another try very late on but the referee couldn’t see the grounding. It was from the resulting scrum that the referee blew the final whistle.

Final score 16-3 to Park House.

With the majority of the Park House team held together by tape and carrying a very long injury and absentee list this was an enormous performance. The Park defence was brilliant and the goal kicking of Richard Russ was superb. Every player from 1-18 stood up and made an impact. Whitstable away next week for another ‘must win’ game.

Well done lads.

And the reponse from Folkstone:

Before this match I had some sympathy for the home team as they have been deducted 10 points in the league table because they fielded unregistered players. Having seen how they play and behave I now have no sympathy for them at all. They were the better team today and deserved their victory but they have some of the most abusive players I have ever seen. It started with their captain verbally abusing the touch judge. It didn't help that the skipper obviously didn't know the laws of the game! But his abuse merited a yellow card. Add to that some of their players abusing the Folkestone supporters and inviting them for fights on the pitch, well you can see that Park House obviously dont play rugby in the true traditions of the sport. When the players weren't swearing at visiting supporters they spent much of the rest of the game whining to the referee doing their best to influence him, and succeeding!

They succeeded so well that he found reasons to show the yellow card 3 times against Folkestone to players who walked off in absolute disbelief. So for 30 minutes Folkestone were down to 14 men. The home team also managed to irritate Folkestone with nasty little goings-on away from the ball and when Folkestone were awarded a line-out one of the home players would boot the ball further away and out of the club onto the adjacent road forcing Folkestone to wait several minutes to take their restart as the ball was found. I would have thought at this level most clubs would have been able to make sure there were replacement balls available. It was also astounding that the ref said nothing at all. Making things worse prop, Mart Korgesaar injured his back in the warm up and lasted only 5 minutes in the game when he was replaced by youngster Josh Martin who played very well against an older more street wise prop. Then in the second half Folkestone lost hooker Jak Cox to a nasty shoulder injury which saw him carted off to hospital.

Things started going wrong for Folkestone the previous evening when Mat Roots and Richard Lama had to withdraw. Those two added to the unavailability of Harris, Baxter, Battershill, Gamble, Oswald, Woolford and Tolman meant that head coach Lee Jeffery had to reshape his team and it didn't work.

But in the first 10 minutes Folkestone were well on top and took the lead with a well struck penalty by Keith Green. 0-3.  But then it was like watching the Keystone Kops as Folkestone self destructed. They won a penalty in their own 22 and the ref played advantage until a Folkestone player hit an aimless kick up the park which ended the advantage. It went to a Park House player who tried to kick it back and was charged down but the ball went straight to a home player who picked it up and danced through the Folkestone defence from 60 yards out to score under the posts. The Folkestone tackling was completely inept. The 2 points were added. 7-3.

To me Folkestone still looked the better team but then we saw some absolutely stupid rugby from the Stones. They simply lost their discipline and allowed the home team's sledging to get to them. Thoughtless kicks banged high into the home 22 allowing them to make the mark for a free kick or to take possession of the ball and run it back at Folkestone. Time and again it happened. It was terrible rugby but in truth this game hardly ever even looked like rugby. To borrow from the Star Trek script, "it's rugby Jim but not as we know it."

Before the interval Park House added 2 more penalties for a 13-3 lead.

In the interval Folkestone attempted to regroup but there was no real improvement on the awful stuff we saw in the first half.

Folkestone never looked as though they were going to get back into the game although at least the thoughtless booting of the ball stopped and Folkestone did try to use their backs a bit but the execution was poor.

Instead Park House added 2 more penalties and were unlucky not to be awarded a late try which the ref couldn't see because of bodies over the ball but to me it was a definite score.

So ended one of the worst performances I've ever seen from a Folkestone team. But I also have to say that I left Park House wondering what happened to sportsmanship. There is no harm in a bit of banter but to see players verbally abuse officials and inviting spectators onto the pitch for a fight was just ridiculous. It was no surprise that they had hardly any supporters at all.

Man of the Match? There wasn't one although at least Leigh Fitchie, Jon Morton, Taavi Ermel, Ben Flatman, Will Turner and Ben Brooks kept trying to change the fortunes of their team. There has to be serious work with this team in their training sessions before they take on Brighton at home on Saturday.

Squad:

W Turner, T Ermel, J Cox, M Korgesaar, J Martin, B Flatman, J McMurray, K Lomp, L Fitchie, D Easby, J Hull, K Green, B Brooks, D Sangiuseppe, O Brooks, J Morton, C Hunt, A Askileiskiri

Editor's Note: Despite the criticism of some of the Park House antics they have emailed the club to ask after Jak Cox who was taken to hospital during the game and here's what they wrote -

I am just writing on behalf of the club to enquire how the player is who went off in the ambulance on saturday

Is he ok?

The players, including myself after the game wanted to pass on their best, hope he makes a speedy recovery.

So despite the bad feeling of Saturday's game thank you to them for asking after our mad little hooker.

Twos secure win against Guys

Team list

1. Eoin
2. Dave Gregory
3. Jinksy
4. Putts
5. Joe G
6. Andy Smith
7. Matt Bunnage
8. Alex P

9. Paul Softly
10. Gravesy
11. Stu Norris
12. Pat Bunnage
13. Cefn
14. James W
15. Tim Murray

No subs

Park House fielded what we would call a weakened team for guys hospital with numerous people at the games, wedding and other gay excuses. The one thing PH knew that the had the power and tenasity to beat Guys Hospital up front. This was the game plan was from the start to bash them up which proved to be a very successful plan.

PH had the better of early going but an unfortunate mistake allowed Guys to score under the posts. 7-0. Straight from the return kick off several good drives were put together with Alex P crashing over. 7-5. From the kick off PH return again to the Guys line and again Alex crashed over to give us another score. Converted by Cefn. 7 - 12. Once more did Alex repeat the same trick and scored his third try in 20 mins. (what a hero, ladies) In between this i believe Guys got another try. The half finished up 14-17. (He has bought a jug)

In the second half Park continued in the same vain sticking the ball up there jumpers and forcing their way down the field. The pace of Guys backs was causing problems around the field.

Pat Bunnage and Cefn were having a field day in the centres and Gravesy was pulling the strings at fly half very well.

During the game some real stand out performances noticably Dave Gregory and James on the wing.

Cefn during the second half run up the wing and unfortunately passed to one of their players not to be deterred he took the ball back, and continued running up the wing to score, all of 40 metres.

Guys managed to nick another try back 21 - 22 PH.

When you get to the end of a close game PH continued to push hard and managed to nick another try with Jinksy driving over at the end.

Good guts all round, shows the performances we can achieve when we stick at it.

MOM Alex Phillips, Pat Bunnage and Dave Gregory (all had superb games) Thanks Pat for returning from uni to help out much appreciated.

Scorpions put in strong performance against Westcombe Park Gents

For once we had a full strength team with the majority of player playing in their correct positions. Although we still managed to end up with 2 back row players as props.

The Starting line up was as follows:

1. Eoin H
2. Keith N
3. Alec
4. Penge
5. Ash
6. P Long
7. Will
8. Steve B
9. A Saunders
10. Jim
11. Stroppy
12. Gravesy
13. AMB
14. Dan
15. Toddy

PH kicked off and almost immediately earned a penalty which Jim stuck in the corner about 8-10m out from W.Pk line. A short line out to Ash (hastily practiced once prior to KO) saw him bulldoze over with the W.Pk front row hanging off him. 5-0 to PH.

For the next 15 minute the play remained in the centre of the field with both sides making numerous unforced errors and conceding several scrums. During this period we made several line breaks that could have easily resulted in scores only to throw a forward pass or go into touch. For all our opportunities we only had 5 points to show. PH tried to force it a bit instead of setting up a few phases first. Our second score came about 20 minutes into the game from either a scrum or ruck. The backs made a line break (not sure how as I didn’t see as I was buried under a pile of bodies.) and it resulted in AMB scoring under the posts. Toddy coverted 12-0.

At this point it was evident we though the game was secure and seemed to relax a bit. The intensity, and aggression seem to drop and W.Pk came back into the game. Another silly PH penalty gave W.Pk a line out on the PH 5m line. The initial Maul was stopped and WPk tired a couple of good pick and drives of the base of the ruck before finally scoring.

At half time the message was to up the intensity and get support to the rucks quicker. J Cheyne came on for Keith at hooker to sort out the throwing in issues with out line out and enable Steve to move back into the line to give us another lifter.

The second half started with a much higher level of intensity from PH which finally enabled us to take control of the game with scores quickly following. Ash scored a lovely try where he picked up from the back of the scrum at about the 22m line, smashed through the back row and when over with several other W.Pk players hanging from him. All the while Penge was screaming at him to pass the ball.

Stroppy Bunnage made several darting runs down the side line and got two more scores. Although while trying to make Toddys kick easier he nearly got caught under the post but managed to break the tackle and score. The final try was created by Penge who put Ash through in acres of space to score his 3rd. I am not entirely sure of the final score but think it finished about 38-5 to Park House.

Solid defence finally leads the Ones to secure victory

It was a normal start to any away day with the Parkhouse 1’s: the wait for Chidi after his incessant need for morning sex meant that he eventually got on a train at 12pm 15mins after he was meant to be at the club. Waiting for Batman who unfortunately had Turdo with him and the long drive like we seem to have with any away game.

After a good warm up amidst the rain and howling wind Parkhouse received the kick off.

Due to some early penalties conceded (and Bunnage starting on the wing) Parkhouse had to dig deep and it was testament to the coaching of the previous couple of weeks that Park were able to keep Hastings at bay even though we were defending on our 5m line for a good ten minutes. When we managed to clear our lines and steal a couple of lineouts the game turned in our favour.

There were some excellent phases from the forwards utilising the new stuff we have worked on during training and from a good scrum and 2 or three forward drives he ball was spun to Dawson who dummied the impressive Biffa and managed to squeeze through a gap, in all fairness I looked to pass but saw it was Bunnage looking wide eyed at the chance of a certain try, so instead I held on and went over in the corner, as Bunnage wept a little. Rich missed the kick in the still strong wind.

Half time H&B 0-5 PH

Two changes at half time Prosser who had a great first half made way for Turdo and Oli Morris who also impressed came off for Batman.

As we kicked off it was these two who made an impact straight away. From a scrum Biffa went through a gap (bad ankle? Poor excuse) and was tackled the ball was able to be offloaded and I think rich may have been involved somewhere but it got to Batman from Turdo and then after a typical jinking run he passed to Turdo who scored with his second touch. A great kick from Rich saw Park increase their lead to 0-12.

With the wind turning in our favour Rich slotted a pen 0-15. A culmination of silly pens and some week tackling meant Hastings did get a try in the corner to make it 5-15.

However all this did was rejuvenate Park and with a line out on the Hastings line the forwards drove over for the score, I don’t know who scored. Rich added another penalty and the game was then played out with no further scores.

All in all an enjoyable game played in good spirits by both teams.

Hastings 5 Parkhouse 23

A return to form almost leads to first W

Despite missing a few players as been the unfortunate story all season, Park were looking for a performance to build on for the rest of the season after some disappointing results.

Russy started at 10, with both Daws and Russ missing. James Boam had to move from 7 to 12, with a lack of backs, and Penge slotted in back at 7 with Olly at 2nd row.

Park wanted to focus on shoring up the defence and not giving the top of the league side any easy yards.

We definately did that, and neither side offered a great deal of open expansive rugby, from our side, def because missing our usual tens, but both sides rucked hard in a tight and keenly fought contest.

Park dominated the scrums and this gave an edge, but Heathfield are a very tough side as always to break down, and despite not really threatening their lie, we managed 15 points in the first half through penalties.

Park defended their own line very well, but after a period of pressure, the first sloppy line of defence let the Heathfield blinside winger in for a try after a nice move from within the 22.

The 2nd half was much the same, and Park did add to their score with a penalty just after Heathfield had extended their lead again after a period of pressure aided by a few penalties helping them up the field.

The scores were then level, and for the 2nd home game running, we lost in a heartbreaking last minute score, to a drop goal from their 10, which the ref deliberated over for some time, but in fairness, it looked over, although some from both sides were not sure.

Park did have a last second penalty from the kick off, but when it mattered, Russy missed the kick and the game was lost. I did get 6 out of 8 (or 9) though!

Park's performance was so much better than it has been, and finally gives us something to build on. The defence was back to last years level, but we lacked an attacking edge, with the key back players missing who will be back.

No need to panic just yet and the wins will definately come as long as that performance was not a one off and becomes the norm.

Rusty performance at Horsham leaves Park House missing out on the W

The start of a new season is always something we all look forward to and Saturday was no different. Park House traveled to Horsham having not won there for a while but with a firm belief we could end that record. Unfortunately that didn’t prove to be the case.

Park started superbly with the forwards dominating the scrums, lineouts (bar two that weren’t straight) and the breakdown with the back row turning over ball time and time again. The pressure was building and a score from Park was inevitable, or so I thought. A handful of try scoring opportunities went begging with silly mistakes being our downfall. With 20 minutes gone the score was still 0-0.

The first score went against the run of play when a well fielded kick from the Horsham backline was spread out wide for the winger to beat his man on half way and run it in to the corner. Conversion missed. 5-0 to Horsham.

Park then seemed to lose their concentration for 10 minutes and it was the simple things that really punished us. With Horsham in possession in their own half they kicked a seemingly straight forward clearance that landed just short of the Park try line, Horsham’s chase was excellent with three players pressurizing the full back into an air kick leaving one of the supporting Horsham backs the simplest of finishes. The resulting conversion was slotted to make it 12-0.

From the kick off, a Horsham player took the ball into contact and from the base of the ruck the Park defence was poor and allowed them to break and go from their own 22 to score in the corner. Conversion missed – 17-0.

This setback seemed to galvanize the Park House players and the remaining ten minutes was all Park House pressure. Straight up the other end of the pitch Park had multiple opportunities to get on the score sheet but with infringements from Horsham constantly resulting in penalties deep in the 22. After four consecutive penalties the referee had had enough and sent the Horsham winger for a ten minute rest – personally I felt it should have been a penalty try for persistent infringement in try scoring situations. We chose to use our dominant scrum from the penalty and as the Horsham scrum disintegrated Tom McMurdo at 8 amazingly stayed bound and bunny hopped with the ball between his feet to the line for a Park House try! The conversion was missed to make it 17-5 with about 5 minutes to go to half time.

Park, with the extra man, decided to keep the pressure on, the final play of the half saw McMurdo break through the centres to offload to Hay who passed to Nzekwue outside with space in front of him, the traveling Park House support screaming for him to back himself on the outside were left devastated when the ball was knocked on in the offload. That was the end of the first half.

HT 17-5

The second half started with both sides playing conservatively, with our revised game plan of pinning them back in their half with kicks and pressuring their lineout. From the sidelines it looked as though Horsham had the same tactics.

It was Park House’s turn to have a man sent to the bin. Allen was yellow carded for a late hit on the Horsham 10 as he cleared to touch – I felt it was a little harsh but it was the second time in 5 minutes... The referee missed the first one, which was a beauty, and he certainly wasn’t going to let Tim get away with it again. It was an honest charge down attempt with an element of spice.

The first 15 minutes was a bit cat and mouse, however, Park House seemed to be regaining the upper hand with possession and with the forwards making their way up the pitch into the Horsham 22 the pressure was on the opposition. From the base of the ruck McElhone spun the ball to Russ who threw a miss pass to the outside centre who unfortunately had over run it allowing the Horsham defence to pounce on the loose ball and break, two offloads later they were in under the posts. The simplest of conversions meant it was now 24-5 with 20 minutes to go.

Park continued to pressure Horsham but the home sides defence was good and we were still guilty of making silly mistakes. It was another of these silly mistakes that gifted Horsham their fifth try. With Horsham in possession at a ruck on the half way line, a brilliant turnover from the Park back row with the ball seemingly secured was then turned back over by the Horsham pack due to a lack of numbers and very poor body positions. They broke down the blind side for a jaunt to the line. Conversion scored – 31-5.

The remainder of the game petered out and the final whistle blew. Horsham continue their home domination over Park House.

Final score 31-5

It was a frustrating game to watch so I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to play in. There were plenty of positives to take from the game and my view was that we were guilty of our own undoing, we were never outplayed in any facet of the match and Horsham scored most of their points when we were in possession in dangerous positions. Defence needs to be tightened up and we need to cut out the silly mistakes, if we do so we will do very well this season. It was also glaringly obvious that this was our first game of the season, hopefully now that rustiness is behind us.

Charlton Park at home next week – let’s get a crowd together and support the team.