If there's such a thing as a "must win" game??

If there's such a thing as a "must win" game in November - this was it.

Belper currently lie anchored to the foot of the league and have not won a game all season. But they came very close to winning this one.

It needed a George Leeson try in the closing stages to secure a bonus point victory and Newark's second win of a challenging season. This was a game where maximum points were required and although there was much soul searching after an average performance, the win was secured despite losing key players to injury and another to a yellow card.

Belper may be the league's whipping boys but they came to Kelham Road determined to play. What they lacked in pace they made up for in handling skills and they took every opportunity to run the ball. They were also highly disciplined at the breakdown and won a number of crucial turnovers.

But after a sustained period of early Belper pressure it was Newark who took the lead when our own slick handling ended with right winger Will Hickton crossing out wide. Shortly afterwards prop Gareth Bartsch was forced off with a leg injury. Sam Brown came on as an able replacement.

In fact, a special mention should go to the whole tight five. The scrum was solid from the kick off and Belper often found themselves retreating at a rate of knots.

But Newark were forced to use their second replacement when strong-running centre Toby Taylor suffered a dislocated knee and an injury to Hickton's elbow meant all three had been used within 20 minutes.,

But our dominant scrummaging led to a second try when scrum half Eliot Bratton hacked through from a retreating Belper scrum and won the race to the line.

In the loose, Sean Denning was his usual physical presence and constantly made the hard yards , getting through a huge amount of work. Steff Taylor tackled hard all day and Akaash Bagga, a real team player who never gives less than 100 per cent, was everywhere.

But there were the usual team weaknesses. One line of my notebook is simply filled with the word "errors" and another with the word "penalties"

Five minutes into added time Belper pressure finally paid off and their opening try made it 10-5 at the break.

Early into the second period yet another penalty was kicked into Newark's '22 and the visitors worked the line out well to cross for a converted try.

Any semblance of continuity from Newark was ruined by the inevitable conceding of a penalty. An interception seemed almost certain to end in a try for Belper. However Hickton - back on the pitch after recovering from his injury - made a shuddering try-saving tackle which, on reflection, did as much to win the game as Leeson's late try.

Newark regained the lead after a lineout and maul ended with a well-deserved try for Bagga. Shortly afterwards Brown was yellow carded for what the referee deemed was handling in the ruck and Belper re-took the lead with a converted try to make it 15-19.

Newark then spent a prolonged period camped on the Belper line but the Derbyshire side's dogged tackling kept us at bay before Leeson found a gap to cross for a bonus point try which he converted.

There was still time for plenty of nervous moments and the visitors could well have snatched victory at the death and no-one could really have complained if they had.

This match could have gone either way but it's our second victory against a 1st XV from a proper club that is able to put out three men's teams.

But it was a close-run thing.

Tries: Will Hickton, Eliot Bratton, Akaash Bagga, George Leeson.
Conversion: Leeson.

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