Newton Aycliffe 34 v Middlesbrough 3rd 5
Newton Aycliffe Rugby Clubs latest league game was called off due to the opposition being unavailable and so, at short notice, a friendly fixture was arranged with Middlesbrough 3rd team.
The game began with Middlesbrough attacking strongly but Aycliffe’s defence remained firm, and no points were scored. The game remained tied until, with 24 minutes on the clock, a chip from Luke Tinkler was fielded by Chris Richards who went over for the try; Tinkler added the conversion. Soon afterwards Rhys Barnes added a second, again converted by Tinkler and a third came from Darryl Pettit. The score at the break was 19-0 to Aycliffe.
Again, the first part of the second half remained scoreless but newcomer, Jamie Crow, was able to add to the score out wide and Jack Woodward went over with less than 10 minutes to go. There was still time for Middlesbrough to finally score the try that they had been threatening throughout. The mumpsimus in the visitors side struggled to influence the referee in some of his decision making, but Aycliffe had the final say when Crow went over for his second with the last play of the match.
This was another encouraging result for the club during their rebuilding process. The next game, on 29th October, sees a return to league action with a trip to Acklam. Newton Aycliffe Rugby Club would like to thank their sponsors The Mortgage Advice Centre.