Park lose out in top of the table clash

Jersey kicked off with a strong breeze and three and a half thousand sets of lungs behind them.

An early nervous handling error in gathering the starting kick gave the hosts first possession, but Park met the challenge with some first rate tackling and were awarded a penalty, which Ross Laidlaw banged to touch.

Jersey won the throw, but Park were soon at them and initially imposed their own game. A super move saw them pass the ball along the line to out wide on the right for Steve Parsons to charge over and give Park the lead after five minutes. A tight angle and a stiff breeze defeated Laidlaw’s conversion attempt.

The home side tried to impose themselves, but generally Park’s defence were clearly up to the job and effectively made their 22 a “no go” area. Unable to play their way through the defensive line, Jersey seized upon the chance to score via a Ross Broadfoot penalty. Sensing blood, and roared on by the crowd, Jersey piled on the pressure and won a further penalty but Broadfoot missed a difficult kick.

This was a match of almost unbearable tension as the two best sides in the league slugged it out. Park looked the more dangerous side in terms of penetrating enemy territory, and saw their chance when Islanders’ number 8 Steve O’Brien was despatched to the sin bin.

A great attack saw them working the ball along the line to the left until a careless pass was intercepted close to the try-line. Jersey reacted instantly, flanker Guy Thompson sprinted away, was stopped close to the line but the ball was quickly worked across for full-back Glenn Bryce to score before numbers arrived. Broadfoot’s conversion kick hit the outside of the post, but the home side led by 8-5.

Back bounced Park, with a good move started with a break by Parsons but it ended with a knock on. Park then, with an immense effort by the pack, turned over the powerful Jersey scrum on the edge of their own 22 but when they looked to have the home side well stretched were penalised for “crossing” to allow Jersey to clear.

Jersey took an 8-5 lead into the interval. They probably shaded possession in the first half but hardly entered the Park 22. On slightly less possession, Park had made a few dangerous excursions into the Jersey 22. All was therefore set for a gripping second half.

With the wind at their backs, Park looked to have every chance of turning things round but early efforts could not breach an excellent defence and first blood went to Jersey in the form of a penalty, converted by Broadfoot for 11-5.

Park were straight back at them but were again harshly penalised for “crossing” when a score looked very much on the cards.

Six minutes later it was Park who forced a penalty, and Ross Laidlaw pegged the score back to 11-8.

Park’s tackling was now beginning to turn the game around, but a great tackle was ludicrously judged to be a potential “spear tackle”. It was nothing of the sort, but a good old-fashioned text book clattering that swept the victim off his feet. The penalty meant that instead of Park maintaining momentum Broadfoot was able to hammer over the penalty to restore the 6-point margin at 14-8.

Park continued to press forward and were rewarded with a further penalty for Laidlaw to peg the scores back to 14-11. Park were far from done for, and drove back deep into the Jersey half but could not retain the ball. Still no one could get the vital edge in a see-saw match until Park were penalised in front of their own posts and again Broadfoot extracted the price for 17-11 with 15 minutes left.

Park made a massive attack on the Jersey line with a series of pick and drives. The hosts’ defence was magnificent, but a try looked inevitable which would snatch a late lead if converted.

However, when Park quickly spread the ball to where the defence was stretched the referee again penalised Park for “crossing”. With no opponent anywhere within tackling distance, it was a woeful decision.

Not only did it allow the home side to clear, but Park were then almost immediately penalised again, and instead of potentially taking the lead, the visitors looked to have been shut out of it at 20-11, with less than 10 minutes left.

Of course, no one can know whether Park would have scored had they not been unfairly penalised, nor how Jersey would have responded if they had, but it always seems a shame when such a vital and well-fought match appears to turn on such a questionable decision.

But the Park team – greatly to their credit – simply got on with things and set up another massive assault on the Jersey line. The inevitable try came when replacement scrum half Graham Barr managed to get over. But a miracle was ruled out when – as Ross Laidlaw’s conversion bisected the posts to make it 20-18 the referee blew for time.

Park could justifiably feel unlucky, having scored two tries to an interception try and, whilst Jersey shaded overall possession it was Park who set up the more dangerous situations.

It would be deeply unfair to suggest that referee Ross Campbell, a perfectly good official, was in any way partial, but everyone makes the odd mistake and unfortunately for the visitors a couple of his apparent errors had a fundamental effect on their fortunes.

But Jersey were good enough to seize their chances and force the win. Park let no one down, least of all themselves, and there is no reason at all to give up on their title chase, but if Jersey do go on to win the title then – as a team and as a club – they will be worthy champions.

Park: Edwards; Shabbo, Parsons, Robinson (Gower), Mantella; Laidlaw; Baxter (Barr); Ovens, Richmond, Ward; McKeen, Anderson; Rowland, Campbell (Pape), Lock Subs not used: Huggett, Gotting Park scorers: Parsons (T), Barr (T), Laidlaw (2P, C).