Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club came close to toppling the Durham and Northumberland Division 3 leaders Winlaton Vulcans on their travels. The game was notable for the return of Deryk Cairns to the team for the first time since pre-season.
Aycliffe won the toss and chose to kick downhill with the strong wind. The opening exchanges saw Aycliffe totally dominant, with the hosts unable to get out of their half. Before long, James Thacker scored the first try, chasing down a well-judged kick from Chris Richards; Luke Tinkler added the conversion. Soon after, Tinkler cut through the defensive line before passing to Thacker who offloaded to Jeff Hodgson in the tackle. Hodgson scored the try out wide.
There was now a lengthy delay due to an injury to a Winlaton player and, after the restart, Aycliffe were unable to match their earlier form. Neither side were able to make any headway until just before the break when Winlaton scored a converted try to leave the score 12 – 7 at the break.
Within the first minute of the second half Aycliffe scored a penalty goal through Tinkler to go back two scores clear. The Winlaton scrum was now dominant and they began to pressure the Aycliffe line; good tackling kept them out for a long period, but finally, a converted try was scored to narrow the gap. Soon after, Winlaton took the lead with a penalty. Further Winlaton pressure saw them score a further penalty to leave Aycliffe needing a try with minutes left. Aycliffe attacked a number of times but it was always from a distance and they were unable to get the required score. The game ended 20 – 15, with Aycliffe having to be satisfied with a losing bonus point.
Aycliffe again found themselves losing a game that could easily have been won, but they will take confidence from a close game at the league leaders. On 18th January, Aycliffe host Yarm for a 2.15 kick-off at Moore Lane. Newton Aycliffe are sponsored by Boola Clothing Aycliffe and Hayward Home Appliances, trading as Serviceforce Visit the website at www.pitchero.com/clubs/newtonaycliffe.
