It was a nail biting final ten minutes.

This hard fought victory against a tenacious Belper side keeps us in the fight to avoid relegation - and more importantly it means with four games to go our fate remains in our own hands.

Defeat for Belper ended any remote mathematical chance they had of staying up although, in reality, they were effectively condemned a long time ago.

However, they didn't look like a team that hasn't won all season and it took some slick handling and nicely worked second half tries to put an end to their dogged defiance.

Newark began well, pinning Belper back in their 22 before an attempted steepling clearance kick was well fielded by 17-year-old right winger Henry Allen. He crashed through one attempted tackle before outpacing the cover to cross in the corner just three minutes into the game.

Newark were once again haunted by their annoying habit of conceding penalties and Belper opened their account with an easy three points in front of the posts before a chip and chase led to a converted try to give them a 10-5 lead.

Noah Marshall gathered well from the re-start before passing to Allen who took the ball on. Number eight Josh Stamp eventually fed flanker Josh Codd who went over . Scrum Half Rhys Overland's conversion restored Newark's lead.

It was a privilege to witness the senior debut of another youngster, Joshie Waqalevu. Based on this showing, he will live up to the reputation of his legendary father.

Waqavelu junior may only be 17 years old but he played with maturity and no little skill in the centre. His first crash ball took him through several tackles to gain significant yardage and put us on the front foot. He also has a very good pair of hands and a number of well timed passes created space for others outside him .

Again our youngsters performed well against the big Belper forwards. Hooker Nathan Leeson unerringly hitting his jumpers and Marshall and second row Oscar Wilby repeatedly making important contributions.

Newark stretched their lead to five points with an Overland penalty before another Belper kick through led to a messy, contested - try. The conversion put them two points up.

Although we were giving away far more penalties than the home side, it was Belper who suffered the most after a yellow card was awarded to one of their forwards. The resulting line out and maul led to a try for skipper Ben Wells - his first of the season. Overland - who was chosen as the Man of the Match by the Belper players - kicked another conversion from out wide.

The second half began with Allen making two fine tackles in succession Then Overland stole the ball from a Belper scrum, Stamp carried on before Marshall went under near the posts. Overland's conversion stretched the lead to 17-29

Belper then had a sustained and lengthy period of possession deep in our 22 which we defended bravely. But a penalty for a high tackle led to a Belper scrum and an eventual try to reduce the gap to just seven points.

A slick handling move along the backs created space for Jonno Armstroing to race to the corner to complete the scoring. It was a nail biting final ten minutes but we tackled bravely and forced Belper into a number of handling errors as they chased the game. With the referee calling last play, Belper fought tooth and nail to get a try bonus point but frustratingly for them they were held up over the line as the whistle went.

A note of praise for the home side. They may not have won a 1st XV fixture all season but for the second time they pushed us all the way. They are a vibrant club with three senior sides and they are looking forward to bouncing back next season. We wish them well.

Tries : Henry Allen, Josh Codd, Ben Wells, Noah Marshall , Jonno Armstrong.
Conversions: Rhys Overland (3)
Penalties: Overland