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Parknews
The e-Magazine for Rosslyn Park Supporters - Issue 18 2014/16 - 17 December 2014
PARK SUPERB IN DEFEAT
W
elcome to Parknews. It was bitterly disappointing to lose by a Adam Bellamy scores for Park against
single point to Ealing last Saturday. Not so much for the loss Ealing [Photo by David Whittam]
itself - it was a great match, which each side’s supporters will probably
believe they deserved to shade – but to lose to a late, and in many
ways controversial, score after the team had battled with such commitment and skill to hold a 16-10 lead against fully-professional opponents into the last moments of the match. It felt like a crushing blow.
Disappointment should not be allowed to cloud the fact that the Park team
gave everything in a magnificent match between two superb sides. They had
every reason to leave the field with their heads held high, and supporters every
reason to be proud of them. Sometimes you lose – it’s sport.
Once getting over the initial disappointment, taking stock of the situation we
are still very much in contention in the title race, four points behind Ealing.
Importantly, if anyone doubted that Park are as good as Ealing, those doubts
are now expelled. We have half a season to make up those four points. We
have yet to visit Ealing (our penultimate fixture) but there is no reason that we
cannot reverse last Saturday’s result. Ealing’s Director of Coaching, Ben Ward,
told the Rugby Paper after the match, “I know the return match at our place
will be no different”.
Down to four
There are now only four sides that can realistically aspire to being Champions.
Coventry’s 36-12 win at Blackheath yielded a bonus point, so they are now
only a point behind us. Fylde lie fourth and are now 8 points behind us. They
are our next opponents at the Rock on Saturday 3rd January: another crucial
match to start the New Year!
But before that we have to travel to Blackheath, currently 6th in the table. We
have to emulate our rivals Coventry in coming away with a win, but Blackheath
have been something of a bogey side to us over the years. Many feel that it
was the home defeat at the hands of ‘Club’ that cost us the title last season, and
even harking back to the days of National 3 (South) in our almost all-conquering season it was Blackheath who spoilt our long run of successive wins. They
always seem to raise their game against us, so only our best will do.
This Saturday is the start of the second half of the season – we have now played
every team once. If offered being in second place in the table, four points behind the leaders, at this stage of the season, before it all started the Editor
would probably not have been the only one to gladly have settled for it. Of
our fifteen remaining matches, eight are at home, seven away and our only
long-distance trips are to Wharfedale and Darlington Mowden Park. There’s still
everything to fight for. So please, if you possibly can, come along to the Rectory Field this Saturday and lift the lads with your vocal support.
The address is The Rectory Field, Charlton Road, Blackheath, London SE3 8SR.
However, that postal code will get you to the club office: if you are driving the
according to the club’s website then the postcode to use for the main gate for
ground entry is SE7 7EY.
By public transport there is a frequent service to Blackheath station from Waterloo East. It’s walkable from there (map here) or take the 54 or 108 bus (in
the later case get off at the Standard pub, which is just short of the ground).
There is a very pleasant pub crawl available via the Princess of Wales and the
Forthcoming fixtures
Saturday 20 December
Blackheath
v
1st XV
National 1
Away KO 3:00
Hatters
No fixture
HAC2 v B XV
Middlesex Merit 1
Away KO TBA
Fours v Ealing Amateurs 2
Middlesex Merit 1
Richmond Park KO TBA
Nomads
No fixture
Next 1st XV home fixture
Saturday 3rd January
1st XV
v Fylde
National 1
Home KO 3:00PM
To book for the pre-match lunch please call the Club
Office on 020 8876 6044
Send all articles, reports and correspondence to: [email protected] (click for e-mail)
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Parknews
Parknews
Royal Standard.
Clubsides
W
ill Thorogood that on what was a very busy Xmas Club day,
plus the clash of the Titans on the main pitch, the clubhouse thronged! Old faces and former Rosslyn Park aces! Big Ollie,
Bauche, Chinky, Nick Watkins, Giuseppe, George, all former B’s from
the 80’s, 90’s and noughties! Some have worn better than others,
but good to see them all!
Meanwhile, there were three games on Saturday and whilst the
clubhouse heaved the Hatters took on Old Reigatians 2’s, and with
a convincing performance of 22-0, (12-0 at Half-time) they seemed
satisfied with their afternoon’s work. The forwards set the platform
and springboard for the backs who combined well. Unfortunately
Jason broke hi fibula: thanks are due to Helen, Pippa and the medical staff for looking after him, and skipper Will Scott reports that
he was due to go under the knife on Monday, swelling permitting.
In a tight game on the adjacent pitch to the Hatters, the 4’s initially
surged ahead against London Cornish Choughs (4’s) in their MMT2
game. However, the dogged and tenacious Cornishmen fought
back, and nearly gave the 4’s a scare, but for our own doggedness
in defence, and some excellent play created by young Elliot and his
goal-kicking. 25-12 at half time, and 28-19 at full time. Phew.
position having been docked 5 points). Poor Tynedale, who have
had terrible luck with injuries, are now only a point above the drop
zone after losing by 32-3 at Loughborough. Hartpury and Blaydon sit 8th and 9th respectively after Hartpury’s surprise 25-20
away win.
This weekend’s fixtures:
Blackheath v Rosslyn Park, Coventry v Loughborough, Darlington
MP v Wharfedale, Ealing v Old Albanian, Esher v Richmond, Fylde
v Macclesfield, Hartpury College v Cinderford, Tynedale v Blaydon
Next Parknews
N
ext week’s Parknews should be on the Club website around
lunchtime on Christmas Eve. The following will be in w/c
5 January. If you’d like to be notified as soon as it is posted then
please opt to follow the Twitter feed @RPNoseyParker. And talking of Twitter, if you can’t make it to Blackheath on Saturday then
catch Mo Sher’s twitter commentary throughout the match on @
Rosslypark.
Social Diary
Early New Year City Dinner Date, programme and venue
yet to be announced.
February Obolensky Association Dinner date and venue to
be confirmed
Nomads played Law Society 3, but do not know the result!
B’s were let down by Crags Crusaders, who pulled out on them on
Friday evening. Too late to find an alternative, I’m afraid.
Slingbacks
The Slingbacks did not play last weekend and can now put their
feet up until League action re-commences on Sunday 11 January.
On that day they have a home match against London Welsh which,
given our girls recent form, has to be winnable. It hardly needs
saying that if you mark it down in your diary and come along to
support that would be a great boost to them.
Sat 21 February
Slingbacks Annual Beer Festival
Sat 14 March
Former Players’ Lunch
23-27 March
Rosslyn Park HSBC National Schools 7s
Thu 7 May
London Floodlit 7s
Fri 8 May Women’s Floodlit 7s (in aid of the Rosslyn Park Injuries Trust Fund)
League Tables and Statistics
Don’t forget that on Saturday 21 February (Park at home to Macclefield the Slingbacks will be hosting their annual Beer & Cider Festival, where the girls themselves will be dispensing the drinks to
the thirsty. It’s always a really fun occasion and there’s no charge
for admission to the festival itself - though obviously you need to
pay the admission charge for the match assuming you turn up in
time for it.
The Slingbacks are due to travel away to play supermarine on the
following day. That sounds a bit messy, but they did once fall out of
the annual Ball in the early hours, more or less straight onto a team
coach to travel north and win a cup final!
In the past Parknews has included a couple of pages of League
Tables, fixture / results matrix and player appearances for National 1. However, this material is not of use to everyone but has
to be downloaded. So instead here are some links to sources of
such information elsewhere so that those who want it can easily
get it.
For National 1 results and fixtures click here
If you need to input the link manually it is http://www.ncarugby.org/index.php?pg=F%20National%20League%20
1&league=Nat%20League%201
National 1 round up
For the current National 1 league table click here
http://www.ncarugby.org/index.php?pg=T%20National%20
League%201&league=Nat%20League%201
H
alf way through the season and only three clubs have any
realistic chance of pipping Ealing Trailfinders for the title,
ourselves being one of them, four points behind the leaders. Coventry are now only a point behind us after gaining a 5-point win
over our next opponents, 6th placed Blackheath, at the Rectory
Field. Apparently things looked good for ‘Club’ with 20 minutes to
go but ‘Cov’ ratcheted up the pressure for a 36-12 win that looks a
lot more comfortable than it was. Fylde are seven points further
back, in fourth, after a 40-33 win over 5th place Richmond, who
are effectively now out of it being 25 points behind the leaders.
Seventh placed Esher’s match at Wharfedale was the first to fall
victim of the weather this season.
For directions to National 1 grounds click here
https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=2173134807122
64949216.0004f8ad90c19cb6866b6&msa=0&ll=54.104502,1.483154&spn=5.683405,16.907959&dg=feature
For Rosslyn Park match results and team stats click here
Stephen McCormack’s excellent Statbunker can be found at
http://rugby.statbunker.com/competitions/LastMatches?club_
id=49&comp_id=465&limit=15
Below that everyone else is within 10 points of a relegation place!
Cinderford’s 42-5 mashing of Macclesfield was not quite enough
to pull them clear of second bottom, but has surely cooked Macc’s
goose before Christmas as they languish 19 points behind them.
Old Albanian seem to have found some form and their 29-21
win over Darlington Mowden Park buys them a breathing space
while sending DMP to the bottom three (though they are in a false
Some of the websites for the league competitions that other
Rosslyn Park sides compete in are not yet up and working for this
season. If any skippers, coaches, etc know of websites that report
the League Tables and Results from competitions they play in
please let the editor know and we’ll include them in the list. Click
here to e-mail details / links.
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PARK JUST MISS OUT IN CLASSIC
Rosslyn Park 16
Ealing Trailfinders 17
Dave Vincent on the attack for Park [Match photos by David
Whittam]
National 1
A
late penalty try, with Park down to 14 men, won the game for
Ealing’s full-timers, but Park could hold their heads high at the
end of a magnificent match that could easily have graced a higher
division. Both sides gave everything in front of a large crowd at
Priory Lane.
Park did most of the early attacking, fly half Louis Grimoldby kicking them to the 22, but they were penalised at a scrum. Back on
the attack Park gained a penalty 12 metres inside the Ealing half,
but Grimoldby slipped on contact and the ball finished harmlessly
short and wide.
While Park did most early attacking, Ealing’s defence looked impregnable. But they conceded Grimoldby another chance on 15
minutes and this time his footing held firm to give his side a 3-0
lead.
Ealing were soon on the attack. A penalty kicked to touch did not
make much ground, but that detail was rendered irrelevant when
the ball was worked wide to top-scoring winger Phil Chesters. Every team knows what Chesters can do, but few have found a way to
stop him. He powered away at speed to score in the corner to edge
Ealing ahead by 10-9 on 55 minutes.
Ealing’s response showed why they are top of the league. A good
attack up the left saw prop Jamie Kilbane pop up out wide to receive a pass and power over in the corner. Fly half Ben Ward failed
narrowly to make the conversion, but the visitors had snatched the
lead by 5-3 on 19 minutes.
Park coach Alex Codling had been cleverly deploying the ‘rolling
subs’ rule to keep his front row fresh against the massive visiting scrum. But it was the introduction of fresh legs in the form
of flanker Harry Broadbent that seemed to be finding holes that
were not there before. Park launched a magnificent attack, working the ball from one side to the other and back again. Just as it
looked as if Ealing had ridden Park’s best punch, hooker Adam Bellamy stretched to put the ball over the line. Grimoldby converted
for 16-10 on the hour.
The commitment from both sides was at the highest level, both
putting in some bone-shaking tackles. Despite this, there were
some impressive passing movements in a thoroughly absorbing
match. Grimoldby had a chance to restore Park’s lead on 24 minutes but, again, in the muddy conditions his pivoting leg slipped
from under him.
With Park giving their all to establish a half time lead, the referee
concluded that some of the visitors’ tackling was getting a bit too
reckless. As half-time beckoned visiting prop Nathan Buck was sinbinned for a shoulder tackle and fellow prop Kilbane joined him in
the naughty corner on the stroke of half-time for persistent fouling.
With the whistle due to go, there was no time to kick to the corner
to set up the drive against Ealing’s reduced numbers. Grimoldby
kicked the penalty for a slender 6-5 interval lead for the home side.
E
aling used attack as the best means of defence, starting the second half with only 13 men. A good raid was bundled into touch
by Park’s keen defence.
Park gave their all, but Ealing organised themselves very well and
restricted the home side to a single penalty, stroked over by Grimoldby, before they were restored to full strength. That took the
score to 9-5 on 48 minutes.
Two superb teams went at it hammer and tongs. A serious Ealing raid saw a tremendous clearance from replacement fly half
Scott Sneddon. Park countered with an attack up the right that
was snuffed out just short of the line; then one up the left that saw
them penalised as they worked the ball across.
Penalty
As the clock wound down Park stopped an Ealing raid at the cost of
a penalty. They failed to retreat quickly enough for the referee’s liking and Sam Shires was dispatched to the bin. Needing a converted try, Ealing propelled the ball to the corner. The resulting throw
appeared not to be straight (the Ealing catcher having to reach
back for it) but Park defended it anyway, eventually leading to a
knock-on at the edge of the 22. Someone must have said something rude to the referee – possibly about the throw - because he
awarded a penalty instead.
This time Ealing made no mistake, setting up a magnificent drive
towards the corner then, presumably thinking of their kicker, in towards the posts. Park pulled it down and the referee had no hesitation in awarding the penalty try. Fly half Ben Ward completed
formalities with the conversion.
With the match already into added time, Park tried desperately to
claw their way back. Attacking up the left, Sneddon launched a
long cross-kick for his right-winger but the ball went dead. Park
recaptured it and attacked up the right, but when they were harried into a knock–on the referee blew for full-time.
Kiba Richards makes a tackle
The result leaves Park four points adrift of Ealing but, with half of
the season left to play, by no means out of contention.
Park: Edwards; Vincent, Richards, Mama, Broughton; Grimoldby; Carter; Liffchak, Bellamy, MacKenzie; Bowley, Boyle; McFarlane, Shires, Ellis.
Subs: Woolstencroft, Lundberg, Broadbent, Gash, Sneddon
Park scorers: Bellamy (T), Grimoldby (3P, C)
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