Newark won by seven tries to one

REPORT WRITTEN BY ROB WILDMAN

Newark Rugby Club

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Kesteven 7 Newark 43

Newark produced an excellent first-half performance to put them in sight of the NLD Shield title against Kesteven at Matlock.

Three tries in the opening 33 minutes gave Newark a 17-0 lead which proved sufficient to hold off Kesteven’s comeback in the mid period of the match.

Overall, Newark won by seven tries to one to rid the memories of last season’s loss to Glossop in the final of the same competition.

Newark’s comfortable win completes a good season for coach Nathan Smith and captain Matt Clark after the team had cemented fifth place in Midlands One East.
In contrast to a number of league games this season, Newark started well to grab the initiative, a number of attacks failing to produce the breakthrough.

Newark eventually cracked open the Kesteven defence 11 minutes into the half, hooker Ian Tomlinson continuing his try-scoring habit by racing 15 metres to finish off an attack.

Further pressure kept Newark in control and a second try materialised in the 22nd-minute when full-back Chris Tate raced over to complete a move begun by good counter-attacking from Nick Galinski and Matt Brewer.

Newark should have capitalised on their pressure in the first half to lead by more than 17-0.

A number of attacks were wasted and it was only in the 37th minute did captain Clark accept his opportunity in the blindside of a scrum after No 8 Cameron Curry had picked up.

Those scores put Newark 17-0 up but they allowed Kesteven back into the match just before the interval when the Grantham-based team’s scrum power gained a penalty try which was converted.

Newark’s mid-match dip continued after the break as Kesteven threatened to stage an upset. However, they were not helped by an injury and Newark pounced to engineer the first of two tries for Galinski.

Galinski first broke clear from midfield to end any thoughts of a Kesteven comeback. His second try put Newark 27-7 ahead and was probably the best of the team’s seven scores.

The wing managed to steel clear on the left after some good interplay – led by the running of Ben Dixon and Tate – had turned defence into attack.

Newark finished off by scoring two final tries to cap an all-round team performance, Brewer and substitute Thomas O’Leary finishing off.

Fly half James Offer kicked four conversions.

Coach Smith gave his man-of-the-match award to Curry, the No 8, who was hard pushed by a number of players in an all-round good display.

Team: Tate; Dixon, Waqalevu, Brewer, Galinski; Offer, Clark; Tinsley, Tomlinson, Gray, Dan Price, Williams, Bartsch, Webster, Curry.

Subs: Dunning, Shiels, Tatham, May, O’Leary, Stark, Brummitt.

Tries: Tomlinson, Tate, Clark, Galinski (2), Brewer, O’Leary.

Conversions: Offer (4).

Sin bin: Tatham.

Rob Wildman