Now for Percy Park!

Percy Park is one of very few local clubs that can claim rightfully to be older than us - by a single year. Percy Park has been around since 1872 and has clashed with SRFC on numerous occasions since the late Victorian period. The 1898/9 season opened with a match between the clubs two first teams - at Ashbrooke on 23 September 1898. Our fixture list for that season included West Hartlepool, Hartlepool Rovers, Westoe, Durham City, Rockcliffe and Northern!

Matches with Percy Park were always close during the last years of the nineteenth century and the sixteenth game of SRFC's 1891/2 season against the Park ended in a draw. The game was played at Ashbrooke in front of a 'small' but 'ardent and enthusiastic' crowd - ( Nothing changes!). The visitors had taken the morning train from North Shields and the Echo reminded readers that earlier in the season SRFC had been victors over the Park in the away fixture. The Sunderland side had an a number of interesting characters for the return game including W H ( William Henry) Bell who had guested as full back for Hartlepool Rovers against a Māori XV and was then declared man of the match in a tight contest. He was England's travelling reserve on at least one occasion and later became a respected administrator for both SRFC and SAFC. 'Dicky' Crow was also in the side - as a comical hack once noted , he was a 'flying winger'. Dicky had also been a travelling reserve for England that season having been chosen for the North v South in a final trial. The previous season Durham County had adopted the four three-quarter line for the first time. The game was against Yorkshire at Ashbrooke and three of the threequarters were William Bell, Dicky Crow and his brother ( and Barbarian) Tom Crow - all Sunderland players. The Crows were well known auctioneers in the town.

There is a thorough and often amusing account in the Echo of the 1892 drawn match. Sunderland attacked twice in the opening minutes only to be countered twice with Percy Park scoring two quick tries ( one converted). Then 'scrimmage' followed 'scrimmage', the dullness became 'monotonous' and the crowd shouted for open play.

Bell obliged and eventually Sunderland scored. Half time score was a goal and a try to a try in Park's favour. The second half was keenly contested until the Sunderland backs broke away sending the Echo reporter into raptures -

'A scrimmage was formed on the line and Sunderland, by a grand rush, crossed over and Morgan, touching down, scored the second try for Sunderland. The feat was greeted with cheering which renewed when Tom Crow equalised by notching a true goal'

Sunderland resorted to fearsome defence after this and the match ended in a draw. Both of the Sunderland tries were scored by a G A Morgan - a three quarter. This is likely to have been George Alexander Morgan who worked in the family business of ship repairing. The family lived in Murton Street ( still there and just off Toward Road backing onto the Software Centre).

Let's hope for another good match this weekend!

KG

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Photo of 1890s 1st XV