Three penalty goals from fly half Dan Mackie

REPORT WRITTEN BY ROB WILDMAN

Saturday, Dec 20

Midlands One East

Newark 21 Ilkeston 40

Newark ended 2014 on a disappointing note by allowing a 14-5 lead to slip into another defeat in a league campaign which sees them third bottom at the midwinter break.

Three penalty goals from fly half Dan Mackie, who was playing in his home debut, and a try from prop Devan Priestley gave Newark a 14-5 lead early in the second half at Kelham Road.

Priestley struck following a series of pick and goes which followed two opening penalty goals from Mackie and the first of Ilkeston’s six tries.

Newark could easily have been further ahead after a dominant first 40 minutes, but they missed a couple of excellent chances to score further tries which would have put them out of sight.

Ben Usher, who scored a glorious second-half try when running from near halfway, missed the best chance when knocking-on a kick ahead after he had charged into space behind the Ilkeston defence.

Another opportunity was missed through full-back Mark Byrom who was adjudged to have put a foot in touch during an attack down the flank.

Usher scooted clear later on in a second half which went wrong for Newark during the sin binning of influential flanker Lewis Cove.

Cove, who had helped to shore up Newark’s flaky midfield, was yellow-carded for a crucial 10 minutes which saw Ilkeston run in four tries to turn a 14-5 deficit into a 33-14 lead.

Newark fought back through Usher’s try and a conversion from captain Matt Clark. That cut the lead to 33-21 but a more telling comeback never materialised. Ilkeston had the final score in the closing minutes when collecting a sixth try.

The defeat was a big disappointment for a Newark team which had played inventively in the opening half. Mackie proved influential in his first start at fly half, following his move from Spalding, while the pack, led by Cove, was also driven on by man-of-the-match Freddie Tatham from No 6.

Before the match a minute’s silence was held in memory of Ben Vidler, the club’s former first team prop and vice president, who has died at the age of 49 after a battle against cancer.

In his honour, the team decided not to use the No 3 jersey, the number worn by Vidler during his playing career, and presented it to his wife Tracey who attended the match alongside the couple’s three daughters and many friends.

Newark's next league match is on Saturday, Jan 3, at Kettering, kick off 2.15pm.

On Boxing Day, a President's XV take on a club XV, at Kelham Road, kick off noon. All welcome.

Details
Team: Mark Byrom; Usher, Tate, Dixon, Britten; Mackie, Clark (capt); Dunning, Tomlinson, Priestley, Primett, Williams, Tatham, Cove, Webster.

Subs: Price, Barnsdale, O’Leary.

Tries: Usher, Priestley.

Conversion: Clark.

Penalty goals: Mackie (3).

Sin bin: Cove.

Rob Wildman