Regional Midlands One

Bridgnorth RFC 19 Newent RFC 22

THE Green Army ground out a narrow win in Shropshire on Saturday as winger Sion Killa went over late on to overhaul the hosts.

Newent were first to threaten when Joe Warner put a neat grubber behind the defence, and hacked the ball on deeper into North’s half where the bounce of the ball just beat the advancing attack.

But the Green Army were not denied for long and after winning a line-out on the home 22, Tom Webb chipped a perfectly weighted ball behind the advancing defence for Nathan Brooks to pinch the ball from under the nose of the last defender and race away for the opening score of the match (0-5).

After withstanding some North pressure, a maul then saw Newent get the ball to Ben Brown, who popped a short pass to Ethan Allen.

The powerful but mobile hooker accelerated through the gap and took the ball well into the home 22 where he was eventually brought down, but not before handing on to Brooks who set up a ruck near the tryline.

From there the ball was popped to Brown again who crashed over the whitewash about five metres in from touch, although the conversion was again missed (0-10)

The hosts then won a 50:22 before scoring a controversial try through Dan Brough that first seemed flagged by the home linesman as in touch and called as such by the referee, before the duo changed their minds and awarded the try for a 10-5 lead to Newent at the break.

From the kick-off Ethan White then won a jackal and got Newent on the front foot, although Webb missed the subsequent penalty attempt.

North's Conner Nicholls then made a smart break from halfway, where they won a penalty which was put into touch 5 metres out before rumbling over for George Newman to get the touchdown, with Benji Ritson making the tricky conversion to take the hosts in front 12-10.

Bridgnorth next won another line-out after a penalty to touch, and again rumbled over, Ritson adding the extras (19-10).

Newent hit back with a couple of chances before a dispute saw both teams a man short for 10 minutes.

Dylan Leney then forced a penalty at the breakdown and from the kick to the corner, Newent won the line-out before a defender inexplicably slapped a scoring pass down, drawing a yellow card and a penalty try (19-17).

Almost from the re-start, wiley centre Will Hartland turned the home defence inside out before releasing to Webb, who found winger Killa steaming up outside him to deliver the winning score in the corner (19-22).

Elsewhere, Ross-on-Wye 1st XV fell to a 35-15 loss at Widden Old Boys, despite”plenty of effort and fight shown throughout, with positives to take forward”.

Ross host Michinhampton in Counties 4 Tribute Gloucestershire North this Saturday (January 24), while Newent are next in league action on Saturday, January 31, at home to Bournville.