Sat 15 Oct 2022
This was always going to be an interesting fixture. Birkenhead Park travelling to the Clay having lost only one game, that to league leaders Anselmians, and Bowdon beginning to impress following some consummate early season performances.
Birkenhead kicked off and retrieved the ball as their winger plucked it from mid-air with a determination that took Bowdon by surprise. They then moved the ball without interruption probing at the heart of the Bowdon defence. Merely 3 minutes in and a lazy chipped kick to the right wing stretched the home side to the limit as Park ran in the opening score of the day which the fullback converted. (0-7)
With the rain beating down Swetman kicked off the re start for Bowdon. They toiled manfully through the forwards backed up by some enterprising work from the ever-dangerous Killcourse, Ramsey and Longworth and were rewarded 15 minutes in with a penalty score by Kilcourse. (3-7)
Slowly but surely, Park began to stifle the best efforts of Bowdon forcing most of the play into the Bowdon half compressing any available space. A loose pass was pounced upon, and Park kicked again into the Bowdon left corner where, from 5m out their superior scrum enabled the scrum half to score with ease carrying the ball under the post. (3-14) Bowdon were still trying to find a breach in the Park defence when they gifted a further penalty score to the visitors 3 minutes later. (3-17) In response Bowdon picked their game up, lifting their tempo and creating some serious pressure from the forwards on the Park line. Following a penalty and lineout there followed pressure on the line from the Bowdon pack and when the ball was released to Swetman he simply rolled around the tackles to score over the line on 29 minutes. Kilcourse converted and Bowdon were still in the game. (10-17) Even more so when Kilcourse slotted home a penalty from 40m just before half time (13-17).
The second half couldn’t have started better for Bowdon when stand off Johnny Edwards took the ball into contact 5m into the opposition half to enable a quick ball out to centre Liam Connolly who had spotted a gap through which he accelerated before offloading to rampaging number eight Sam Hayley. The final 25m to the line was swallowed up easily to score offering Kilcourse yet another kick to the posts, the conversion giving Bowdon the lead in the match for the first time. (20-17) Naturally this prodded the tiger and Park came back running the ball intensively through the forwards and were rewarded with a penalty 12m in front of the sticks. (20-20) The teams exchanged another penalty a piece before consistent pressure from Park led to a series of 5m scrums. With their increasing domination of this set piece, it was no surprise that the number eight touched down to score from the pushover scrummage. The conversion giving Park back the lead, 23 – 30, as the game moved into the final throws. From the re start Bowdon were awarded a penalty for crossing which they converted increasing the tension as the minutes counted down. (26-30) Park in the ascendancy never were allowed to get away by a tenacious gritty Bowdon side. In keeping with the theme of this topsy turvy match just when it looked all over for the home side, they were awarded a penalty on the last play of the game. The ensuing lineout 8m from the Park line was a little bit of cheek a little bit of guile as hooker Convey surreptitiously slipped the ball to open side Tom “poster boy” Fitzgerald who relatively unchecked jogged over to score. The try and conversion giving Bowdon victory 33-30. An excellent never say die attitude and true grit win over an entertaining good Birkenhead Park team.
Winnington Park away this coming weekend – see you all there!
