Blues just get the 5-point win to keep alive their hopes of avoiding the drop, sadly the other results didn’t go Blues way so to make sure 2 more wins will keep them safe

Blues in pink kick off this vital league match on a warm sunny Saturday afternoon a rare good weather day, Exmouth gather and attack getting into Blues 22 before they are tackled into touch, lineout won Blues kick clear and get a scrum when Exmouth knock on, scrum won Blues attack and get a penalty which is kicked into touch in Exmouth’s 22, from the lineout the forwards drive before the ball is released to the backs who get back into Exmouth’s 22, injury time out for Joe Pigott who has to leave the field

Joe Pigott off Ollie Milner on 4 mins

Blues have to reshuffle to cover the scrum half position, Blues restart with the scrum, Alex Millar comes off the back of a strong scrum to make one of his trade mark runs brushing off the defenders to score a good try, the conversion is just wide, 5-0 6 mins

Blues return the restart kick into touch on half way, Exmouth win their lineout and run the ball but concede a penalty at the tackle, Blues kick to touch then concede a scrum at the lineout Exmouth win the reset scrum and take play across the pitch but get tackled into touch, Blues win the lineout and run the ball but concede a penalty scrum at the tackle, Exmouth hold their scrum under pressure and put up a high kick Blues return the kick so do Exmouth Blues touch down in their try area and take the 22 drop out, Exmouth gather and attack getting into Blues half before spreading the ball wide then back breaking through the Blues defence to score under the posts plus the conversion 5-7 15 mins

Joe Pigott back on Ollie Milner off

Blues kick off Exmouth run the ball but concede a penalty at the tackle, Blues have a scrum win the ball but cough up possession when they concede a penalty scrum, Exmouth win the scrum and clear to touch, lineout won Blues forwards maul making ground before the ball is spread out to the backs then a neat grubber kick rolls into touch, Exmouth attack from their lineout getting into Blues half, after several phases of play they infringe at the tackle giving Blues a penalty and earning them a yellow card.
Blues kick the penalty win the lineout but lose the ball giving Exmouth a scrum, Blues get a penalty at the scrum the kick doesn’t find touch allowing Exmouth to run back at Blues but they spill the ball at the tackle, Blues are first to react and quickly spread the ball out wide Cameron Golby Barr making a good run down the touch line getting into Exmouth’s 22 before being stopped, Blues knock on.

Toby Pearce off Ollie Milner on 26 mins

Exmouth have a defensive scrum which they win under pressure from the Blues pack, they then get a penalty which is kicked to touch, their throw at the lineout is crooked giving Blues a scrum, from the scrum Blues attack Kris Ford charging through several tackles and putting Blues on the front foot, Blues get a scrum then a penalty when they put the Exmouth defence under pressure, Ollie Milner slots the penalty between the posts 8-7 30 mins

Exmouth kick off Blues return the kick into touch on half way, Exmouth run at Blues from the lineout taking play across the pitch, they win a scrum when Blues knock on in the tackle, scrum won Exmouth attack but knock-on halts their progress, Exmouth steal the scrum and win a penalty, injury time out and an Exmouth player has to leave the field. Exmouth take a long shot at the posts which is just wide, Blues take the 22 drop out and a good chase gets them a penalty at the tackle on half way which is kicked to touch, lineout won Blues forwards maul and win a penalty scrum when Exmouth collapse the maul, scrum won Blues run at the Exmouth defence giving away a penalty at the tackle Half Time

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Exmouth kick off the second half, Alex Millar gathers and sets off on one of his runs, Blues win a penalty at the tackle which is kicked to touch on half way, Exmouth get a scrum at the lineout and some good running rugby takes them into Blues 22, several phases of attacking play spent in Blues 22 comes to an end when they are penalised for crossing, Blues clear to touch still in own 22, Exmouth win the lineout and mount another attack taking play across the pitch, a big tackle by Rob Drysdale stops play for an injury and the Exmouth player leaves the field. Exmouth restart with an attacking scrum and again put pressure on the Blues defence spreading the ball wide before a neat grubber kick bounces over the dead ball line just in front of the Exmouth’s player diving to touch it down, Blues escape
Blues take the 22 drop out which Exmouth knock on, Blues win their scrum and a good Josh Bartlett run takes play into Exmouth territory, Blues spread the ball wide, Exmouth read the pass and intercept making 65 yards to score under the posts plus the conversion 8-14 50 mins

Ollie Spanswick on Dylan Stewart off

Blues kick off Exmouth gather and run before kicking clear, Blues gather and Josh Bartlett makes ground, Blues keep hold of the ball and take play into Exmouth’s half winning a penalty which they tap and go winning another penalty, the long shot is just wide of the posts 53 mins.
Exmouth take the 22 drop out Blues gather and put up a high kick which Exmouth gather and run getting into Blues 22 with some good running rugby before a knock on halts their progress, Blues run from the scrum and kick but the Exmouth player catches it at close range and they are attacking the Blues defence again before putting a kick over the Blues defence, Blues gather and kick clear, Exmouth gather and run back at Blues winning a penalty for a high tackle which is kicked to touch, lineout won their forwards maul before the ball is spread quickly through the backs who manage to break the Blues defensive line to score close to the posts plus the conversion 8-21 60 mins Blues have 20 mins to save their season

Graham Stewart on Ben Hicks off

Blue take the restart kick, Exmouth gather and put up a high kick and manage to regather the bouncing ball, Blues win a penalty which they kick to touch, lineout won they run at Exmouth spreading the ball out wide Josh Winfield makes the break draws the defender and passes to Josh Love who rounds the defender to score wide out on the left the conversion is just wide, 13-21 63 mins

Exmouth restart Blues take and clear to touch still deep in their own half, Exmouth win the lineout and maul before attacking in midfield and out wide the ball is brought back into midfield, Josh Love takes a great interception and runs 60 plus yards to score a great try under the posts Ollie Milner converts 20-21 67 mins and Blues have a chance to take the vital points

Rob Drysdale off Ben Hicks on

Exmouth’s kick is straight out so back for a Blues scrum, Blues attack from the scrum and a good grubber kick rolls into Exmouth’s 22, Exmouth gather and run out of defence getting a penalty which they kick long and into touch, from the lineout Exmouth attack win a penalty but play the advantage and soon have another which they slot between the posts 20-24 72 mins and they are back in the driving seat

Exmouth gather Blues restart kick and clear upfield, Josh Bartlett runs the ball back Alex Millar continues before Blues knock on but back for a Blues penalty which is kicked to touch in Exmouth’s 22, Exmouth steal the lineout and kick, Blues gather and Kris Ford makes a good run Josh Winfield gets up to the line but is stopped, Blues recycle the ball and Joe Pigott is over to touch down the bonus point try, the conversion is just wide Blues now have a 1 point lead 25-24 76 mins

Exmouth put pressure on Blues defence in the last few minutes but cannot make the break through or force the Blues defence to concede a penalty until the final minute when at the try line Blues give away a penalty scrum and get a yellow card, Exmouth knock on at the scrum and the final whistle is blown Blues have got the 5 point win by the narrowest of margins and keep their relegation escape alive

A great game of rugby played in the right spirit by both teams, on a sunny warm afternoon

Forwards MOM Adam Neal for an industrious match long performance
Backs MOM Josh Love for a great 2 try performance

Newbury Squad
Ben Hicks, Rob Drysdale, James Macauley, Adam Neal, Kyle Doel, Josh Winfield
Dylan Stewart, Alex Millar, Joe Pigott, Dan Thorne, Toby Pearce, Kris Ford, Josh Love,
Cameron Golby Barr, Josh Bartlett, Graham Stewart, Ollie Spanswick, Ollie Milner

Thanks to the mascots for the day Newbury RFC U6’s

Thanks to the great Blues support who went through the ups and downs of this roller coaster game but were smiling at the final whistle, most dressed in pink including the male pink Ladies,

Blues are at home on 21st April against Bournemouth who secured 2nd place on Sat with a win over their rivals Newton Abbot, another must win game