Whopper win!  Blues relegation risk banished!

Newbury Blues put in a massive performance to trounce the Chichester visitors 37:5.

For both sides, it was a huge match.  Both were at risk of relegation from Regional 2 South Central.

And it was obvious that it meant a huge amount to both sides, with some unsettled play characterising the first ten minutes or so.  A mix of glorious sunshine, that had fans spread over the north and east banks to luxuriate a suntan while cheering, and challengingly gusty conditions, meant settling into a rhythm was the task at hand.

As the first half progressed, the Blues began to dominate through more disciplined play.  With the Blues still having a raft of senior players not available, Captain Dan Thorne (moved to Inside Centre but, of course, kicking at goal) purposefully chalked up the points with four penalties.  He missed just one, most of which were tricky long-range kicks, to lead his side into the half-time break 12:0.

In the second half, tries were the order of the day!  Some converted, some not, the Blues made five tries, winning their bonus point.  Credit to Chichester, they didn’t give up and scored a try practically at 80 minutes, albeit trumped by Harry Edwards for the Blues almost immediately after.  At the final whistle, it was 37:5 to the Newbury Blues.

That’s the league season done.  There may be a bit more if the Papa Johns Cup goes ahead.  Hope so.  Come on you Blues!