Newbury Blues 8 – Bristol 26
August 25, 2009
From newburytoday.co.uk
Bristol’s Norton adds the touch of class to some friendly fire as three players are sin-binned
Newbury Blues 8
Bristol 26
NEWBURY gave a robust account of themselves in a friendly that occasionally resorted to hand-to-hand combat as three yellow cards were flashed in the finally pre-season outing for these two relegated clubs.
If anything, Blues looked more prepared for the rigours of their campaign in the new National League One, while Bristol look anything but a side primed for a rapid return to the top flight from the new Championship.
Bristol won the try count 4-1, and the card count too, but Newbury kept the visitors well in check amidst a rising penalty count and only a lack of penetration underlined the biggest difference between the teams.
Bristol had the flash and fire of winger Dan Norton to show Premiership quality. He collected a Tom Arscott chip to open the scoring in the ninth minute and Adrian Jarvis chiselled his way through the Newbury back line for a second try and his second conversion.
That came after Mitch Burton had reduced the arrears with a penalty, and Blues had prop Tom Fidler binned under forward pressure, which led to the third try when Jarvis sent Lee Robinson away before collecting his third conversion.
Nick Scott almost intercepted before the break, but Blues got onto the scoreboard early in the second period after former blue James Phillips had been carded, Matt Williams chasing his own kick to score wide out.
With stoppages rife, Bristol were limited to one ore try when a Burton kick landed nowhere and Norton collected to scamper away from his own half and score, and the only other tally was Robbie Shaw’s second yellow card for the visitors as Blues kept up with the pace until the end.
A couple of knocks and blood lettings were the worries for the hosts, who have two weeks in which to recover before the start of their league season at home to Tynedale on September 5.
Newbury Blues: Williams; Freeman, Scott, Humphries, Rodgers; Burton, Gasson; Rowlands, McGrath, Fidler; Pape, Hodge; Ascroft-Leigh, Fox, Perkins. Reps; McGregor, Jackson, Coxon-Smith, Gale, Sullivan, G. Turner, Wellings, Loosemore.
Bristol: T. Arscott; Robinson, Eves, Fatialofa, Norton; Jarvis, Spice; Irish, Johnson, Crompton; Sambucetti, Budgett; Phillips, Merriman, Montagu. Reps: M. Turner, Bedes, Shaw, Winters, Ashwin, L. Arscott, Clarke, Alford.
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