Newark delighted the crowd at Kelham Road

Newark delighted the crowd at Kelham Road by sweeping aside Ilkeston in the first home league game of the season.

The fluid rugby, which brought 12 tries, was similar to the style which brought a number of good wins at the end of the last campaign.

Full-back Dan Mackie enjoyed a memorable afternoon in collecting three first-half tries and kicking nine conversions.

Billy Charles, a second-half substitute, scored twice as Newark built on a 33-3 lead at half-time to hammer home their superiority.

Like Newark’s win in the Intermediate Cup last week at Oakham, the performance was based on a strong scrum and a reliable line-out.

Newark’s improving ability to spread the ball wide paid off and left Ilkeston struggling to fill the holes.

Mackie’s scoring spree started in the fifth minute when he finished off outwide the first of some good Newark attacks.

To add to his confidence, the full-back found his best goal-kicking form by improving the try from near the touchline.

Ilkeston responded by kicking a ninth-minute penalty, but it was only a short time before Newark were back on the attack, this time down the left when wing Robbie Hunter-Shaw shot clear. Mackie converted.

Newark’s attacking play continued to blossom and Mackie twice more finished off to increase the lead and to bring up the fourth try for a bonus point.

A fifth first-half try came from prop Fran Appleton, who was making his first team home league debut alongside lock Will Ellison. Mackie converted to make the score 33-3.

Newark did not drop off in the second half and the one-way nature of the match continued. In all they scored another seven tries to complete one of the biggest league wins in recent memory.

Charles, who took over on the wing from Will Britten, demonstrated his pace to score twice while one each came from lock Mikey Boyd, captain Dave Garland, centre Jordan Slack and scrum-half Matt Clark. Amid the scores there was also a penalty try.

To the credit of Ilkeston they finished strongly by grabbing two tries as consolation.

Team: Mackie; Britten, Waqalevu, Jordan Slack, Hunter-Shaw; Chapple, Clark; Shiels, Tomlinson, Appleton, Boyd, Ellison, Spurr, Coulam Garland.

Subs: Bartsch, Charles, Bagga.

Tries: Mackie (3), Charles (2), Hunter-Shaw, Appleton, Boyd, pen try, Garland, Slack, Clark.

Conversions: Mackie (9).

Yellow card: Waqalevu.

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