Sat 29 Feb 2020
Newbold travelled to title contenders Dudley K having made 6 changes from the previous week's team which included a start for debutant winger Josh D’Arcy playing his first game of the season after recovering from a serious injury. Writes Phil Fereday
The game started with Newbold playing into a stiff wind and within 5 minutes of play were forced to make a change with Duzza Ziba having to be replaced by Josh Hutchinson after being injured in the tackle. Both sides soon settled into the game testing each other out. The Bold being dominant in the set scrum but Dudley ruled the line out by simply throwing to number 2 to keep control of the ball in windy conditions. The only score of a very competitive first half was an unconverted try by the home side. So, Newbold started the second half 5 points adrift with the wind at their backs looking to take advantage of the elements but Dudley had other ideas and scored 27 unanswered points in an impressive display of ball handling and ball retention. Newbold by no means played badly but Dudley were clinical in taking advantage of a missed tackle or a small gap in the defence and it is these small margins that can turn a game on its head. Newbold did have the last say in the game deep in extra time with a try scored by Ethan Wookey in the corner which was converted by Dan Obrien.
