Champions-elect Hartpury maintained their 100% winning record, but it took 10 points inside the last five minutes to see off a brave and often brilliant challenge from Rosslyn Park, who became only the second team this season to deprive them of the four-try bonus.

Hartpury started the brighter side and penalties from fly half Jacob Perry in the fourth and eighth minutes put them 6-0 ahead.

Park then fought back to equalise with two penalties from fly half Harry Leonard after 15 and 23 minutes.


Crunch time ......

Some fine defensive work by Hugo Ellis saw him charge from his own 22 on the right, offload when tackled, and the ball rapidly moved to the left for winger Mark Kohler to score a superb try in the left corner. A brilliant conversion by Leonard gave Park a 13-6 lead on 24 minutes.

Park tackled like demons to deny Hartpury’s clear physical advantage again and again, but when hooker Tom Vaughan-Edwards was rather harshly sin-binned the visitors stepped up the pressure to score out wide through centre Steve Leonard and a top notch conversion levelled the scores at 13-13 on 38 minutes.

Just as it looked as if Park’s 14 would hold out to half-time, Hartpury gained a penalty to bring the interval at 13-16.

Park emerged fired-up for the second half and made it tell with a second superb end-to-end try by Kohler but Leonard’s difficult conversion attempt hit the post, Park leading 18-16 after 47 minutes.

Another Perry penalty cancelled out that advantage, but Park came storming back only three minutes later with a powerful maul that was brought down illegally for a penalty try. Leonard’s conversion made it 25-19.

Hartpury came back with a try of their own on 59 minutes through scrum half Ben Vellacott after a series of penalties, the conversion grabbing a 26-25 lead. But again Park came back with a Leonard penalty to restore the lead at 28-26.

When the visitors missed a penalty on 70 minutes it looked as if Park might carry the day, but Hartpury got another on 76 minutes and this time Perry made no mistake for 29-28.

Park tried to come back but were undone by a late break-away try, a second for Vellacott, converted for 36-28.

There was just time for Park to work the ball to the Hartpury line by the corner, but when the ball went dead it brought the final whistle.

Park Forwards Coach, Kieran Power, said, “Myself and Scott [Sneddon - attack and defence Coach] were very proud of the performance the boys put out on the field yesterday. At times they had Hartpury rattled and had the game there for the taking.

“Unfortunately the last 15 mins showed the difference in fitness between the two sides. We made some crucial errors when tired which they took advantage of along with some crucial referee decisions where we just didn't get the rub of the green and eventually took its toll.

“Although it was a great performance and some great support from the Park fans clapping the team off the pitch ultimately we didn't gain anything from the game in terms of points”.

Looking forward to Friday night’s local Derby at Esher, he said, “This now makes a six day turn around before going into a London derby, where form and league position go out of the window, and it’s even more crucial to it get right.

“Esher will be buoyant with a good win against Cambridge and looking for revenge from the previous fixture earlier in the season. Hopefully there will be a big turn out from the Park faithful Friday night at Molesey Road and the boys can dust themselves down and get back to winning ways”.

Park: Robinson; Aspland-Robinson, Henderson, Reay, Kohler; Leonard; Weir; Nwakor, Vaughan-Edwards, Maguire; Inglis, Frampton; Milne, Hudson, Ellis
Bench: Lovell, Wade, Taggart, Crow, Crane
Park scorers: Kohler 2T, Leonard 3P, 2C, Penalty try)

Charlie Addiman

Images: David Whittam

March 6, 2017