Newton Aycliffe 52 v Seghill 17
Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club continued their recent good form with a convincing win over Seghill in Durham and Northumberland Division 3. With the weather again fine, suiting Aycliffe’s pacy back line, the home side were optimistic about racking up a 4th league win out of 5 games.
Aycliffe started brightly, but it was quite a long time before the scoreboard was troubled, with Luke Crossen scoring a try which Luke Tinkler converted. Aycliffe increased their lead soon after; Craig Holmes picked up the ball at the back of an attacking scrum and darted over the line. When Chris Wilson added another try from a move involving the entire back line, the score was 17 – 0 to Aycliffe and that is how it stayed to the break.
Seghill were not beaten yet and scored a try to close the gap, but it was not for long as James Thacker restated Aycliffe’s dominance with a try that secured the bonus point. Another score came when a lineout was thrown over the top, the ball ricocheted into Craig Holmes’ hands and he was able to score the try. Two more tries followed in quick succession for Thacker as he scored a hat-trick for the second week in a row. Seghill attacked again but were thwarted when Sam Daltry ripped the ball from the attacker and started a counter-attack. With the game winding down, Aycliffe suffered two sin-binnings and conceded two tries, but, with Aycliffe still a man short, Crossen picked up a loose ball and completed the scoring. With Tinkler converting all five second-half tries, the final score was 52 – 17 in Aycliffe’s favour.
This was another indication of what might have been if Aycliffe were able to field a full strength team throughout the season. On 20th April, Aycliffe continue their league programme at home to Richmondshire, kickoff 3pm. Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club is sponsored by Workshop Supplies and Lift Right Forklift Training.
Visit the website at www.pitchero.com/clubs/newtonaycliffe
