Two bonus points

REPORT WRITTEN BY ROB WILDMAN

Saturday, April 12

Midlands One East

Newark 27 Ilkeston 30

A fumble on the last play of the match cost Newark a chance of winning the final league of the season.

Newark did not deserve to win overall, especially after a disastrous start which cost them 13 points, but they fought back to within three points of Ilkeston only to fumble a last-ditch attack which looked like producing a match-winning try.

Two bonus points – one for scoring four tries and the other for finishing within of seven of the winners – cemented Newark a commendable fifth place in the table.

But Newark felt they should have produced a better display especially in a first half where they helped Ilkeston into that 13-0 lead before waking up.

By half-time, Newark had reduced the deficit thanks to a well-worked try for Matt Brewer which James Offer converted. But another defensive slip early in the second half allowed Ilkeston to lead 7-20.

The half continued in that manner with teams trading tries.

Newark scored two more through a break from Aloesi Waqalevu and wing Nick Galinski who latched onto a chip ahead by Matt Clark.

In between, Ilkeston scored twice themselves to lead 20-30, Offer having also kicked a penalty for Newark.

The match changed when Ilkeston had a player sin binned and Newark went back to a full quota following the end of 10 minutes in the cooler for back rower Cameron Curry.

Newark struck back through Clark, following a break by Martin Brummitt, who scored his team’s fourth try and added the conversion.
That score put Newark within three points of Ilkeston at 27-30 but more good play should have brought a match-winning try outwide only for a knock on to ruin the chance.

The referee then blew for full time.

Newark have a break over Easter before regrouping for the season’s finale in the NLD Shield Final, against Kestven, at Matlock, on Saturday, April 26, kick off 1.30pm.

Team: Tate; Britten, Waqalevu, Brewer, Galinski; Offer, Clark (capt); Tinsley, Tomlinson, Barnsdale, Williams, Dan Price, Bartsch, Webster, Curry.

Subs: Dunning, Brummitt, May.

Tries: Brewer, Waqalevu, Galinski, Clark.

Conversions: Offer, Clark.

Penalty goal: Offer.

Sin bin: Curry.

Scoring sequence: 0-3 Ilkeston pen, 0-8 Ilkeston try, 0-10 Ilkeston con, 0-13 Ilkeston pen, 5-13 Brewer try, 7-13 Offer con, 7-18 Ilkeston try, 7-20 Ilkeston con, 12-20 Waqalevu try, 12-25 Ilkeston try, 15-25 Offer pen, 20-25 Galinski try, 20-30 Ilkeston try, 25-30 Clark try, 27-30 Clark con.

Rob Wildman