BIRKENHEAD PARK RFC 5 v DMPRFC 41

The victory was marred by the injury to utility forward Andrew TONKIN, who unfortunately broke his forearm in the dying minutes of the game at Upper Park.

Although the North East rugby programme suffered somewhat from the cold snap with numerous games cancelled due to freezing conditions, Merseyside seemed to escape the ravages of the frost and by kick off time, the sun had done its work and the match was played on a decent surface.

Birkenhead Park were buoyed by recently accounting for Bradford & Bingley RFC at ‘fortress’ Wagon Lane and with only one home defeat so far this season, were looking to avenge the defeat inflicted upon then at Yiewsley Drive earlier in the season.

Birkenhead Park RFC have a big pack and with Anthony Handley at stand off who has played at a higher level, under his stewardship, it is obvious to see why they have reached fourth place in the league.

However, DMPRFC were in no mood for anything other than a clinical performance with which to consolidate the second half of the league campaign and that is how things panned out.

DMPRFC were on the attack from the first blow of the referee’s whistle and this continued until on 9 minutes, after a sustained period of pressure with a series of line-outs and turnovers, a break from the base of a breakdown by Todd HARRISON found flanker Luke WISHNOWSKY in support, who readily accepted a reverse flip pass to score near the posts (0 – 5). Grant CONNON was successful with the easy conversion (0 – 7).

Even at this early stage, the home side found it difficult to secure any decent ball and the pace of the game was not to their liking.

Nevertheless, on a foray into DMPRFC territory, they applied pressure of their own and it was DMPRFC who contributed to Birkenhead Park’s only score of the game. When running out of defence, a stray pass along the line was gleefully intercepted and despite brave efforts by the chasing defence, the home scorer touched down near to the corner flag (5 – 7). The conversion was too far out.

DMPRFC’s scrummaging was also causing problems for Birkenhead Park, who could not slow down any stages of the proceedings, which would have obviously been their favoured option.

Stung by this, the visitors upped the game and just before the first quarter was over, a home defender was adjudged to be in from the side of a ruck and Grant CONNON obliged with a penalty from just inside the half way line (5 – 10). In a carbon copy of applied DMPRFC pressure, Birkenhead Park were caught offside minutes later and the result was the same from Grant CONNON (5 – 13).

The home side did have periods of play where they tried to breach the DMPRFC line, but some dogged defence repelled them on every occasion.

Due to injury prior to the game, prop Danny DIXON was given the task of performing in the No. 8 birth, something to which he was not unaccustomed from his earlier years and he seemed to relish the opportunity to have the ball in hand. Birkenhead were unable to stop his bullocking forays and from one of these, he touched down between the posts (5 – 18) allowing team mate Grant CONNON the easiest of conversions (5 – 20).

Birkenhead Park were trying to stop the DMPRFC onslaught, trying to put together their own game plan into operation, however this continued to prove difficult.

Just prior to oranges, returning Fijian and Army winger Ben SERU added a try of his own. A loose ball was pounced upon by Danny DIXON on half way and flung out wide. The ball was hacked on by centre Tom HODGSON, who collected, drew his man and passed to Ben SERU who did the rest (5 – 25), making the conversion easier for Grant CONNON, who obliged (5 – 27).

So the half time score was sufficient enough to have probably sealed the win and perhaps Birkenhead Park RFC had thoughts of hoping it was the end, but as often is the case with such a big first half, things did not entirely replicate after oranges.

To their credit, Birkenhead Park did not lie down and mounted a decent rear guard action after oranges, battering away at the visitor’s line, with catch and drives at the forefront of their operations. This continued for the third quarter of the game, as DMPRFC ‘took their foot off the gas’ and wasted several other opportunities.

DMPRFC did break out of defence on occasions, but it was not until the final quarter, that they managed to breach the home defence, as Ben SERU completed his brace (5 – 32), Grant CONNON again converting (5 – 34).

By this time, all replacements for both sides had been utilised, with Birkenhead changing three at half time.

For Park, Andrew TONKIN replaced Pearce PHILLIPS, Cameron MITCHELL went on for Tom HODGSON and Michael WHINN for Danny DIXON, who had, had an excellent day.

Flanker Luke WISHNOWSKY scored the final and best try of the game, as Grant CONNON broke through the home defence and slipped the ball to the flanker, who raced fully 30 yards to outstrip the defence and dive over between the posts (5 – 39) for Grant CONNON’s final successful kick of the day (5 – 41).

DMPRFC would have been happy to see the game end at that stage, as in the final minutes, after a collision, flanker Andrew TONKIN, very unusually for him, remained prostrate on the ground with what has now been diagnosed as probably a season ending injury. Everyone at DMPRFC wishes him well in his recovery.

A spare week in the league calendar follows, with a resumption of league activities in two weeks time with a home fixture against Burnage RFC, on Saturday 28th January.