Newport 10 vs Whitchurch 14
This was a game everybody thought would be postponed to the weather but all credit to Newport, they got loads of volunteers with flame shooters to thaw the frozen parts of the pitch out and the January sunshine worked with them to make it playable. The only game to go ahead in this league.
It was always going to be a tight game with Newport in 3rd position in the league just a handful of points behind the Whitchurch team. Whitchurch managed to get on the scoreboard first in the 5th minute with a Robbie Leighton penalty following a high tackle from the home defence. Just 3 minutes later though Newport levelled the scores with a penalty in front of the posts. Both teams then cancelled each other out with some good defensive tackling until Robbie Leighton found a gap and went over for the first try of the game on the half hour mark. He missed the conversion that followed for the extra couple of points and just a few minutes later the home team broke through to score by the post which was converted to give Newport a 10:8 lead at half time.
Newport now had their tails up and with the downhill slope thought they were going on to win the game especially when Alfie Linnington got a yellow card for taking their scrum out early in the second half. Whitchurch had other ideas and rode out the 10 minutes with a player down to keep just the 2 points behind and were camped in the Newport half but could not break through until they were penalised on the 10 metre line and Robbie Leighton stepped up to convert the 35 metre kick to put them ahead by a point. Whitchurch kept testing the home defence and thought they had scored but referee gave a knock on as the ball got spilled forwards. The Newport forwards were stronger and bigger than their opponents and won most of the scrums but dogged Whitchurch defence kept them in the lead by a point until 5 minutes to go and they were awarded another penalty that Leighton converted to give a 4 point lead. Newport threatened to score from a break and managed to get out of their own half but the Whitchurch defence being well organised held on to the final whistle to win 10:14
There were great individual performances from Robbie Leighton who scored all the Whitchurch points but man of the match went to Nathan Horton for his tackling and all round performance covering every blade of grass.
The second team game was postponed due to the weather along with all the other games in Counties 4 North west. Next week the first team are at home against Newcastle kicking off at 2:15 whilst the second team travel to Stafford.
