Newark 29 Long Eaton 38
Newark’s Kelham Road ground staged a match which beat the Saturday flood from the nearby River Trent.
However, on the pitch the first team paid for a poor start against Long Eaton who cruised into a 21-0 lead.
By the time this league match was ending, the ground was beginning to flood and last orders in the clubhouse were called around 4.30pm.
Earlier, the crowd had been warned about the encroaching water and some spectators decided to leave before the end.
Newark, playing their first match in three weeks, awarded a first league start to Tuks Vinakasa at centre in a team led by captain Will Britten.
Those spectators who left early missed Newark’s mounting a late rally which brought a bonus point for scoring four tries, wing Toby Taylor diving for the final try following two from fly Matt Cox and one from centre Aloesi Waqalevu.
Cox’s efforts in the first half dragged Newark back into the match after a woeful start had helped gift an eager Long Eaton three converted tries.
Newark eventually responded and a penalty by Cox was quickly followed by the fly half breaking through to put Waqalevu over for the home team’s first try.
However, Newark’s sloppy defence soon cropped up again and Long Eaton grabbed a fourth converted try before Cox, using his power to shake off defenders, forced himself over in the corner for a try he improved from near the touchline.
Newark turned round 17-28 down. The second half provided an increasingly squelchy contest in which the home team held most of the territory.
Cox missed an early penalty attempt before Long Eaton escaped for a well-worked fifth try which was converted.
That put Long Eaton 17-35 clear but Newark, helped by the introduction of three substitutes in Sam Booth, Haydn Godfrey and Matt Cove, enjoyed their best period of dominance.
Newark’s hopes rose when Cox wriggled clear for his second try which he converted. Further pressure ended in Taylor finishing off in the corner, using the water, which was now gathering towards the main road end, to glide over.
At 29-35, Newark had hopes of forcing an unlikely win. However, a final penalty from Long Eaton kept them in the clear on an increasingly wet pitch.
Team v Long Eaton: Hunter-Shaw; Britten (capt), Vinakasa, Waqalevu, Taylor; Cox, O’Dell; Appleton, Himsworth, Hempstead, Woodman, Ellison, Duncan, Matthysz, Webster.
Subs: Cove, Godfrey, Booth.
Tries: Waqalevu, Cox (2), Taylor.
Conversions: Cox (3). Penalty goals: Cox.
Scoring sequence (Newark first): 0-7 LE try & con, 0-14 LE try & con, 0-21 LE try & con, 3-21 Cox pen, 10-21 Waqalevu try & Cox con, 10-28 LE try & con, 17-28 Cox try & con, HT. 17-35 LE try & con, 24-35 Cox try & con, 29-35 Taylor try, 29-38 LE pen.