Greg Lound’s clean sweep guided Rosslyn Park to a determined 38-19 win over Rotherham Titans at the Rock in front of a crowd of 750.
Park were pegged back twice in the first half before Henry Robinson and Stewart Maguire helped them pull away.
Kieran Power’s side took the lead after six minutes, Hugo Ellis driving over from a line-out.
But Titans responded four minutes later, Dan Leake breaking through Park’s defence to feed Tom Bacon.
Joe Munro used some quick feet after another line-out to retain the home side’s lead on 13 minutes.
Henry Robinson scores for Park
After a period of hotly contest rugby, the visitors’ maul led to James Cooke finding space as Sam Hollingsworth kicked to equalise on 34 minutes.
But Park retained their lead again two minutes after the restart, Robinson sliding through two tackles for the line.
And the lead was doubled on the hour as substitute Jack Barnard’s deep run set up Lound’s try.
The fly-half, Park’s top-scorer last season, got the full house with a penalty kick nine minutes later.
It stemmed from a late tackle on Barnard, the defender Lewis Wilson being sent to the sin-bin.
A fifth try came for the home side for Maguire, finishing off a move from Craig Holland’s run.
Titans grabbed a third try with three minutes to go through Cooke but it was too little, too late.
Rosslyn Park
Tries: Ellis H 6, Munro 13, Robinson 42, Lound 57, Maguire 74
Conversions: Lound 7, 14, 43, 60, 75
Penalties: Lound 66
Team (15-9/1-8): Henry Robinson; Nick Scott, Henry Cheeseman (Neville Edwards 58), Joe Munro, Craig Holland; Greg Lound, Dave Lewis (Jack Gash 62); Kyle Traynor (Stewart Maguire 62), Karl Gibson (Ellis A 64), Stewart Maguire (Paul Doran-Jones 40); Sam Twomey, Henry Spencer; James Freeman (Dan Laventure 64), Arthur Ellis (Jack Barnard 51/ Freeman 66), Hugo Ellis ©
Rotherham Titans
Tries: Bacon 10, Leake 32, Cooke 77
Conversions: Hollingsworth 11, 33
Penalties:
Sin bins: Wilson 64
Team (15-9/1-8): Tom Bacon; Ben Robbins, James Cooke, Tom Bullough (Hollingsworth 58), Dan Leake (Poole 68); Sam Hollingsworth (Morgan Bunting 48), Connor Dever; Tom Williams (Harry Whitfield 58), Harry Newborn, Will Dennis (Reece Ward 64); Elliott Ward, Kieran Frost; Lewis Wilson, Zak Poole (Maka 64/ Leake 77), Anthony Maka (Keifer Laxton 58)
Replacements; Agustin Defelitto,
Attendance: 750
Referee: Karl Dickson
HT: 14-14
Star Man: Joe Munro – Rosslyn Park
Park head into a London derby next week as they travel to Old Elthamians.
The College Meadow side saw off a spirited Canterbury 14-37 on their travels.
Both sides fought out a tough battle in their last meeting in January – but the home side won 28-22.
Warren Muggleton @WMuggleton
September 10, 2019