Overall, Newark looked the sharper team

REPORT WRITTEN BY ROB WILDMAN

Midlands One East

Saturday, March 1

Peterborough 15 Newark 22

Newark rescued a second successive league victory thanks to a powerful late effort this time away to Peterborough.

In Newark’s last league game, a late try earned a 15-14 win over Paviors. This time it was a try from newcomer Cameron Curry which put his team back into the lead.

Peterborough had fought back to level the match at 15-15 going into the final 10 minutes, but Curry’s strong burst off a scrum, in front of the home posts, proved to be the crucial score.

Fly half James Offer improved the try to put Newark 22-15 ahead and through some good defence Matt Clark’s team were able to hold off Peterborough’s late attempts to fight back.

Overall, Newark looked the sharper team and should have made more of their possession especially in the first half.

A reshuffled team had taken the field including a revamped midfield because of injuries to Matt Cox and Chris Tate.

The new centre partnership of Ben Dixon and Max Spurr performed well and gave both wings in Nick Galinski and Martin Brummitt opportunities.

A break by Brummitt in the opening minutes should have brought a try but his pass to full-back Mark Byrom fell to ground and the chance was lost.

Newark eventually took a deserved lead in the 23rd minute after both teams had missed penalty goal opportunities.

Spurr burst clear in midfield after a Newark move off a line-out had brought good possession. Offer added the conversion to put the visitors 7-0 up.

Peterborough quickly regained their composure by working a gap on the right for their wing to score.

Though Offer added a penalty for Newark in the lead up to half-time, Peterborough finished the half by kicking a penalty themselves following the sin binning of lock Fred Tatham.

Newark, now playing with the slope, took hold of the match at the start of the second half and some good inter-linking from the forwards, led by Curry and Price, paved the way for Tomlinson to bustle over for his eighth try of the season. Offer missed the difficult conversion as Newark led 15-10.

Peterborough proved competitive opponents and launched their own period of pressure as Newark lost a second man to the sin bin in lock James Price.

Newark defended well, particularly from a series of line-outs, but the home team eventually sliced through for a try near the posts which was converted.

That seven-pointer levelled the match at 15-15 and it needed Curry’s strength, following some Newark pressure, to settle a good contest. Offer converted.

Newark face a busy week.

They travel to West Bridgford, on Wed evening, kick off 7.30pm, for a Notts Cup quarter-final followed by a league game, at home to Bugbrooke, next Saturday, kick off 3pm.

Team: Mark Byrom; Brummitt, Spurr, Dixon, Galinski; Offer, Clark (capt); Tinsley, Tomlinson, Barnsdale, Tatham, Price, Webster, Lewis Cove, Curry.

Subs: Gray, May, Bridges.

Tries: Spurr, Curry, Tomlinson.

Conversions: Offer (2).

Penalty goals: Offer.

Sin bins: Tatham, Price.

Scoring sequence: 0-5 Spurr try, 0-7 Offer con, 5-7 Peterborough try, 5-10 Offer pen, 8-10 Peterborough pen half-time. 8-15 Tomlinson try, 13-15 Peterborough try, 15-15 Peterborough conversion, 15-20 Curry try, 15-22 Offer conversion.

Rob Wildman