Seven Rosslyn Park tries saw them beat Rotherham Titans 46-24 at the Rock to top National League One. Arthur Ellis opened the scoring for Park before a ruthless display saw them score three second-half tries in 12 minutes.

Losses for Old Elthamians and Blackheath saw Park top the table.

The home side got an early advantage, Greg Lound kicking a penalty through the middle eight minutes in. Six minutes later, a quick line-out saw Ellis over the line on the left, Lound adding the extras. It was all Park as Gregor Gillanders finished a maul on the half-hour.


Greg Gillanders scores Park’s 2nd try

But the Yorkshire side came back and were rewarded eight minutes later, Ellis Abrahams kicking a penalty. Titans came out firing for the second half as Connor Dever broke through to score the visitor’s first try. But Park responded when Connor Hayhow finished a slick move on 48 minutes from Titan’s line-out error.

Spectators at the Rock saw real end-to-end rugby, Titan’s winger Connor Field picking out a cross-field punt four minutes later. Park kept up the intensity and were rewarded when Charlie Amesbury scored on the hour for the bonus point. The home side then received a gift when Field was sin-binned four minutes later for obstruction. This saw Park add two more tries in 10 minutes, Lound finding space to score and Benji Marfo finishing a slick move.

Titans gave home fans a scare with five minutes to go as Kieran Frost ran clear before feeding Alex Dolly. But Park held nothing back as Joe Munro jumped over two defenders on the whistle for Park’s seventh try.


Try for Greg Lound

Rosslyn Park
Tries: Ellis A 14, Gillanders 30, Hayhow 48, Amesbury 60, Lound 67, Marfo 72, Munro 80
Conversions: Lound 15, 49, 68, 80
Penalties: Lound 8
Line-up (15-9/1-8): Leonard; Hayhow (Marfo 49), Grove, Munro, Amesbury; Lound, Gash; Nwakor (Wade 40), Vaughan-Edwards (Gibson 66), Doran-Jones (Maguire 40); Mills © (Tizard 49), Gillanders; Frampton, Ellis A, Spencer
Rotherham Titans
Tries: Dever 42, Field 52, Dolly 76
Conversions: Abrahams 43, 53, 77
Penalties: Abrahams 38
Sinbins: Abrahams 62
Line-up (15-9/1-8): Allott (Dolly 49); Leake, Dunne (Allott 64), Abrahams, Field; Barker, Dever (Poole 69); Richardson, Thomson (Bergmanas 62), Dennis (Stout 62); Keys (Ure 64), Ure (Wano 34); Ball, Poole (Frost 34), Nagle-Taylor

Referee: James Clarke

Warren Muggleton

Images: David Whittam

January 6, 2019