Park travelled to Stelfox Avenue with a much changed pack from their last game two weeks ago. Nic Witte started at Tight-Head Prop, Alan Hughes and Dan Harrison formed the second row and Sean Mooney returned to the back row after an ankle injury.

Both sides had their moments in a hard fought first half but defences prevailed until the home side broke the deadlock when a well worked front lineout peel ended with Kersal's number 8 scoring in the corner. The tough conversion was missed.

A few minutes later Kersal surrendered the advantage when, after a good scrum, winger Sam Tyrer finished off a try to bring the scores level. Kersal then enjoyed their best spell in the game and scored just before the break to lead at half time 10-5.

Park opened the second half in confident fashion and enjoyed plenty of possession and were now in the ascendancy in the set piece. Park looked dangerous but were unable to gain the breakthrough after squandering a number of chances but two Dave Hall penalties gave them a 10-11 lead.

Kersal weathered the storm and retook the lead with a penalty of their own to set up a tense final quarter.

The game could have gone either way but it was Park who scored next, with skipper Ollie Mabbott going over the whitewash, converted by Hall to lead 11-18. AK did throw the kitchen sink at Park in the last few minutes but Park’s defence held on for a well-earned victory.

Park Director of Rugby Martin O’Keefe said: “This game could easily have gone either way but I feel our fitness and desire saw us through in the end”

Team manager Terry Hall added: “I thought winger Sam Tyrer was excellent today and he looked sharp after dropping a stone in weight in recent weeks.

"To win away is always great but even better when we’d had to make so many changes to the squad due to injury and unavailability."

Park welcome old friends Waterloo to the Upper Park next Saturday for a 3pm Kick-off.