Rosslyn Park 41 – Blaydon 15

[match id=90]

Blaydon must have known it was not going to be their day when the train broke down at Stevenage involving a long wait for a replacement and then transference of kit and a late arrival.

Not surprisingly they were not at their best and never looked likely to grab an elusive first win of the season. The final score-line might suggest a one-sided game but apart from falling away in the last 15 minutes they were always in contention and at 22-15 anything could have happened.

Unbeaten Park led at the break by 12-5 thanks to 4 penalties from their full-back Sam Katz but Blaydon had the satisfaction of scoring the only try of the half, by who else but Robert Bell playing in what is likely to be his last game for the club.

The flanker crashed over in typical style from the most typical of Blaydon moves, a rolling maul following a line-out, and his prolific try scoring ability will be sorely missed.

A poor tackle let in Park centre Charles Gower soon after the restart with Katz landing the conversion and then a penalty but Blaydon hit back immediately. Andrew Baggett struck a fine penalty and then added the extras when Tom Bramwell cut through at speed to touch down under the posts.

With everything to play for disaster struck when prop Micky Ward was injured and Robbie Kalbraier came back on as replacement only to be sent off seconds later for a yellow card offence at a line-out.

Things then went from bad to worse in the final 15 when Park were allowed to dominate and galloped away with tries from Dominic Shaddo, Henry Staff and ex-Tynedale No8 Sam Shires plus 2 more conversions by Katz.

John Brennan