Blues weather the storm

Kettering started well and Josh Plowright scored after 4 minutes when some fine handling out flanked the visitors defence for the winger to cross in the right-hand corner.

Joe Daniel was wide with the difficult conversion but added 3 points with a penalty as the Blues dominated large periods of the first half, but failed to turn their superiority into points.

This lack of further score lifted the visitors and they began to dominate proceedings in the 2nd half as the Blues contrived to turn the ball over time and again, and Newark kept them pinned back in their own 22, without managing to make the much needed breakthrough.

Having weathered the storm, Kettering came back strongly and should have scored themselves only for desperate last ditch tackles to keep them out.

Eventually the pressure told with Newak conceding a penalty, when a try was almost certain to be scored under their own posts. Daniel kicked the points and the Blues saw out the rest of the game as players from both sides became indistishguishable, which probably didn't help the match official whose decisions for and against both sides became increasingly hard for everyone to understand.

In the end a result which saw the Blues win their 13th game out of 15, which is the best series of results for this side in several years.

Despite this, both coaches and players will be looking for an improvement in performances over the coming weeks as they look to overtake the points total of 72 for last year, within the next 5 games.

RAJ Man of the Match: Josh Block

Match Photos available on Newark RFC website - http://www.newarkrugby.com/photos/newark-1st-xv-v-kettering-030115-551725.html