South Shields 15 v Newton Aycliffe 18
Aycliffe travelled to South Shields for their latest game in the Counties 3 Durham and Northumberland League. The game began with both teams attacking with gusto. A defensive lapse from Aycliffe saw Shields score a try after 3 minutes, but they fought back and after a series of attacks, Dave Carney (sponsored by Caitlin’s Beauty Bar) scored his third try of the season to tie the scores. The game was hard fought after this with the Aycliffe centre pairing of Sam McIvor and Owain Jones breaking the gain line a number of times; but being unable to add to the score. With the last kick of the half, Shields added a penalty to go into the break 8-5 ahead.
The second half was, again, a close affair, but Shields again slipped through a gap in the defence after 45 minutes to add a converted try. Ten minutes later, after some good work by the forwards, Aycliffe scored a second try from Neil Morgan (sponsored by Lottie Parkin), to reduce the gap to 5 points. The Aycliffe scrum has been excellent all season and with a quarter of an hour to go, Number 8, Matty Stephenson (awaiting sponsorship), was able to score a pushover try to level the scores.
Both sides were now trying to find the edge, with less than 10 minutes left Shields were awarded a penalty which they opted to kick; it flew narrowly wide. Further attacking from Aycliffe saw them, in turn, awarded a penalty in front of the posts with 2 minutes left. Stephenson calmy bisected the posts to give Aycliffe the lead for the first time in the match. All Aycliffe had to do now was to keep the ball in Shields half and wind the clock down, but some ill discipline saw them concede two penalties which allowed the home side to break into their half. Only desperate Aycliffe defending kept them out, but it was enough and the first win of the season was secured. Aycliffe’s player of the match was captain David Gibson (sponsored by Bob Malvern, Durham County President).