Park were desperately unlucky to lose to third-in-the table Ampthill after a fine performance in awful conditions. Having all the early play, Park hammered a penalty to the corner and from the catch-and-drive prop James Lovell crossed the line for a 5-0 lead.

Fly half Harry Leonard couldn’t quite nail the wide conversion in the high winds but was spot on nine minutes later when sustained pressure brought the visitors a penalty for 8-0. Shortly afterwards Park’s injury jinx struck again with Josh Ovens led from the fray.

Park continued tackling strongly and strangled most attacks before they reached the danger zone, but on 22 minutes Ampthill made a concerted surge for the line. Just as it looked as if the visitors had seen it off the touch judge intervened to say that Ampthill would have scored had not full-back Henry Robinson been lying on the ball. Ampthill were awarded the Penalty Try to make it 8-7 and Robinson was sent to the bin.

Things got worse six minutes later when Amps kicked ahead and Olly Groves was adjudged to have obstructed an opponent and was, somewhat harshly, sent to join his colleague in the bin, reducing Park to 13 men.

Ampthill took full advantage bundling over two tries in the space of three minutes, courtesy of flanker Joe Bercis and prop Aleki Tului, Rayner converting both for a lead of 21-8.


My ball!

Restored to full complement, Park had the final say before the interval, Leonard aiming a kickable penalty to the corner for Lovell to claim his second try from the subsequent drive, Leonard converting for 21-15 at the interval.

An early second half penalty by Leonard narrowed the gap to just three points, but just four minutes later Rayner slotted over at the other end for 24-18.

Both sides went at it hammer and tongs, Park looking marginally the better side, and on 57 minutes lock Jamie Gray burst over to put Park within a point at 24-23.

But the visitors were effectively undone when another yellow card, again at the instigation of a touch judge, set them back to 14 men, and Bercis crashed over for his second try for Ampthill to lead 29-23 with only four minutes remaining.

Park strove mightily to get the converted try that would win them the match, but when the referee ruled that a scrum near to the Ampthill line would be the last play of the game, the home scrum half receiving the ball did not hesitate to belt it out of play over his own goal line to claim the spoils.

Park Head Coach, Kieran Power, said: “It was a spirited effort. But where the front 5 dominated the majority of the set piece play, ill-discipline cost us the game, as the majority of their points all came when we had men in the sin bin.

“We have to dust ourselves off quickly and take the best aspects from that game into Coventry at home with the attitude we showed and look to get something out of that game against the league leaders”.

Park: Robinson; Marfo, Groves, Barnes, Henderson; Leonard; Gash; Nwakor, Gibson, Lovell; Spencer, Gray; Ovens, Hudson, Ellis
Bench: Bellamy, Higgins, Barnard, Crow, Hutson
Park scorers: Lovell (2T), Gray (T), Leonard (2P, C)

This coming Saturday Park face an immense challenge when the unbeaten League-leaders Coventry visit Roehampton, kicking off at 3:00PM.



Charlie Addiman

Images: David E Whittam

November 27, 2017