Last updated at 11:10, Monday, 03 October 2011

The pack was shuffled again as P&S took the field at Newton Aycliffe.

Newton Aycliffe 18 Prudhoe & Stocksfield 10

The return of students was offset by work commitments taking away three of the previous week’s pack.

The home side were keen to remind P&S that on their last visit they had scraped a win and Newton Aycliffe had felt robbed.

It took Aycliffe three minutes to score the first points as P&S were penalised some 22 metres out from their posts.

The visitors went straight back upfield and laid siege to the Newton Aycliffe line.

Time after time they drove forward only to be thwarted by an error or the whistle.

In the 25th minute there was finally a break through.

Ironically it was a clearance kick from the hosts that found full back Andy Oliver who ran straight back into the green shirts of Newton Aycliffe before releasing Matthew Kilgore for his second try in two weeks.

This finally brought Newton Aycliffe into attack and for the next five minutes it was the visitors on the defensive.

The spell ended with the home side crossing the line to take the lead against the run of play.

P&S went back on the offensive and although the half ended with a well taken penalty to the home side, they had a torrid few minutes prior to that when only the referee’s whistle had stood between them and a score.

Five or more penalties on or around the five metre mark would have usually seen the brandishing of a card and or the award of a penalty try; it did not happen.

That should have been a clear signal to the visitors.

The second half saw each side score an unconverted try but more importantly it saw the Newton Aycliffe side win the game by following the age old saying of “play to the whistle”.

In a half that saw the home side penalty count at least three or four times greater than the visitors’, they were able to restrict the visitors to slow ball every time.

Throughout the half as the whistle went they would hold the ball, ask the referee for clarification or find a way to delay.

It was effective and a lesson for P&S.

Tomorrow able topping Houghton visit the Stocksfield Sportsfield where once again there will be a changed home side with several players attending a wedding.

First published at 09:07, Monday, 03 October 2011
Published by http://www.hexhamcourant.co.uk