Newton Aycliffe 38 v Sedgefield 17
Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club started their Moore Lane season with a friendly against local rivals Sedgefield. Aycliffe were able to field a squad of 26 players for the game which was chosen as the Club’s Sponsors and Old Boys Day: a large number of former players being present in the crowd.
The game began with both sides showing a bit of rustiness, but it soon settled down. After 5 minutes, Sedgefield took the lead with a try, but it was only a couple of minutes before a well worked move saw co-captain Ash Elliott level the scores. After 17 minutes, a line break by James Thacker saw Jason McLean running a great supporting line to score under the posts; Luke Tinkler converted. The rest of the first half saw neither side create any realistic chances and the score at the break was 12 – 5 to Aycliffe.
The first 20 minutes of the second half saw no addition to the score by either side, but then Ben Durrans was able to finish off a move with another try converted by Tinkler. Sedgefield came straight back with a converted try of their own to again reduce the deficit to two points with 10 minutes to go. It was then that Aycliffe’s larger squad saw them better able to complete the 80 minutes. Three tries came in quick succession from Durrans, Thacker, and Durrans again, for his hat-trick, with Tinkler converting the first two. Aycliffe finished the game with a deceptive score line of 38 – 17 in their favour. On 2nd September, Aycliffe begin their return to league rugby with a trip to Blyth.
Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club wish to thank their chief sponsor: Mortgage Advice Centre.