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Manor Park secured second bonus point win of 2019 against Upton

Manor Park secured second bonus point win of 2019 against Upton

Bobby Bridge13 Jan 2019 - 19:09
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Manor Park moved 11 points clear of the bottom half of Midlands 3 West South by securing their second bonus point win of the new year.

Chris Goode's hat-trick against Upton-on-Severn inspired the Red and Blacks to a 43-5 away victory to back-up a 38-10 win over Stoke Old Boys a week previously.
"It was probably one of the most complete performances for a long while," said head coach Nick Bishop. "We looked threatening from all over the park, creating some great scoring chances and taking them.
"I can’t remember our back three all scoring in the same match.
"It was a good distance away but everyone was there and ready so we could go through our prep. We asked for a good start and everyone delivered."
Centre Joe Reynolds got the ball rolling with a second try in as many weeks after four minutes before prop Goode managed his first two tries of the encounter to move 19-0 ahead with two successful Callum Bishop conversions.
Winger Dan Cooper brought up the bonus point with his try before half-time before Upton registered an unconverted effort to go in at the break 26-5 behind.
The second half was one-way traffic as Cameron Forryan dotted down after 45 minutes, Goode completed his treble with 15 minutes remaining and Adam Bennett crossed the line late on to complete the victory.
"Upton maybe bottom of the table and struggling a bit of late but they're a proud bunch and winning here is a big deal for us," added Bishop. "The year we we got promoted to this level of rugby we won 19 of our 20 Midlands 4 West South fixtures but lost here 7-5.
"Many of the boys who played that day are still with us so it was nice to get the win.
"Upton deserve credit, they made life difficult for us in the middle quarter and maintained that effort in the first ten to 15 minutes of the second half.
"But our defence was more than up to the challenge."
Park finish January playing the two teams immediately below them in the table, with Woodrush arriving at the Griff and Coton on Saturday (19th) and a trip to Alcester (26th).
Their opponents' close proximity in the table should serve as all the motivation Park need to continue their momentum into the second half of the month.
"Both Woodrush and Alcester are dangerous sides who we have tasted victory and defeat to across our recent previous meetings," added Bishop. "This is our chance to really strengthen our position in sixth and do what we can to chase down the teams above us.
"Things change quickly in rugby and we've got a significant injury list. We've got a competitive looking team of 15 that were unavailable last week but what we are developing is a bit of strength and depth and some true team spirit that our club is well-known for."
Despite the enforced rotation of the first team squad, the second team still managed to summon 19 players to tackle Stoke Old Boys, losing 19-12 with tries coming from Matt Quick and Christian Smith and Reece Minger adding a conversion.
Vice captain Carl Lester said: "I couldn't be prouder of the boys. We had a handful of guys go up into the first team but we still managed to get a team out and go close to a victory.
"So many lads in our team are playing in their first season of senior rugby and there's been plenty of tough times over the first five months of the season but they keep coming back for more, showing hunger and desire to improve.
"If we keep showing that hunger, mix in some more experienced players along the way, the wins will come. I am certain of it."
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