First team fail to hold on to half-time lead

Pre-season friendly
Newark 11 Scunthorpe 14

Newark Rugby Club put up an encouraging performance against a strong Scunthorpe team in a pre-season friendly at Kelham Road on Tuesday evening.

Newark led 11-7 at half-time only to be undone by a try and conversion in the second half which enabled Scunthorpe to edge a good encounter 11-14.

The big plus for Newark, who travel to Grimsby on Saturday for a first-round match in the Notts, Lincs & Derbys Shield, was the strong showing of some emerging players in a squad who gained promotion last season.

No 8 Arran Riley put in a significant show at the back of the scrum while James Price, in the unfamiliar position of lock, led the way in taking on a good Scunthorpe pack alongside the experienced Mark Staines.

Outside the scrum fly half Tom Price, wing Lewis Strellis and centre Jack Badley all stood up to the test.

Newark led 6-0 after the first quarter thanks to two penalty goals from fly half Matt Cox. Scunthorpe replied through their first try but Newark turned round ahead at 11-7 after a try from prop Darren Gray five minutes from the break.

Gray wriggled over in the left corner after Newark had mounted a sustained attack sparked by Mark Byrom’s strong running.

Newark start their league campaign in Midlands One East on Saturday week (Sept 1) at Kettering.

Team: Tate; Buddha, Mark Byrom, Badley, Britten; Cox, M Clark; Jackson, J Barnsdale, Gray, Price, Staines, N Clark, Webster, Riley.
Subs: May, Barnard, Garland, Priestley, Primett, Tom Price, Strellis, Bridges, D Coen.
Try: Gray. Penalty goals: Cox (2).
Ends