A SECOND LEAGUE WIN OF THE SEASON

REPORT WRITTEN BY ROB WILDMAN

Saturday, Oct 25

Midlands One East

Newark 27 Old Laurentians 15

Two tries early in the second half sealed Newark’s second league win of the season in a match played in wet conditions at Kelham Road.

Newark made plenty of mistakes in the slippery conditions but still had enough all-round superiority to win by four tries to three.

Old Laurentians played their best rugby early on when they led 10-0 through two tries of their own despite having had a player sin binned.

Newark, having seen one speedy break by wing Connor Slack break down, responded by setting up an opening try from a drive at a line-out which brought lock James Newman a try.
A penalty goal from Dan Mackie reduced the margin further before Newark put together a good phase of play to end in full-back Callum Slack, brother of Connor, hitting the line to score his team’s second try.

That gave Newark a 13-10 lead at the break and a good opening to the second earned Ian Tomlinson, who is captaining the team in the absence of injured Matt Clark, touching down from another catch and drive position.

Mackie added the conversion and also improved Newark’s fourth try, which notched up the bonus point, when the scrum-half broke from a scrum to put centre Luke Tupholme through.

Newark hoped then to improve the margin of 27-10 but Old Laurentians fought back to grab a third try in the final quarter which descended into a mistake-ridden, scrappy affair.

Despite the poor ending, Newark had plenty of positives from a second league win of the season which came on the back of victory in the Notts, Lincs & Derbys Cup at Market Rasen the previous week.

One of the biggest is the continuing emergence of flanker Jaymie Duncan who was voted man-of-the-match.

Newark take a break next weekend due to the World Cup final.

The next league game is at Paviors on Nov 7.

Newark Team v Old Laurentians: Callum Slack; Connor Slack, Tupholme, Waqalevu, Statham; Scott, Mackie; Chapple, Tomlinson, Price, Primett, Newman, Duncan, Hubbard, May.

Subs: Barnsdale, Tatham, Hill.

Tries: Newman, Callum Slack, Tomlinson, Tupholme.

Conversions: Mackie (2).

Penalty goal: Mackie.