This was a match that had everything. Brilliant individual tries, some great team scores and committed, brave defence.

It would be impossible and unfair to identify a man of the match.

Fly half Matt Cox once again pulled the strings, Calum Holmes and Ovi Gilder both ended with a brace of tries and hooker Mateusz Dogiel rounded off a barnstorming performance to cross for a breathtaking team try.

The scrum held its own against a big Ashfield pack and provided a stable platform for attack.

Teenagers Finn Bennett, Oscar Wilby, Nathan Leeson and Will Staniforth also took the fight to the confrontational Ashfield forwards and the entire team put bodies on the line when the visitors resorted to their usual tactic of using big one out runners to punch holes.
Number eight and prop Nathan King also played Ashfield at their own, bruising game.

For once the 2nds made a faultless start and crossed the line after 50 seconds.
The ball was spread the full width of the field - left and right - before winger Tom Partridge beat his man and passed to Holmes whose pace and power took him over for the opening try.

Ashfield - who beat us at their place earlier in the season - seemed stunned by our speed of play and the lead was doubled following a line out and quick ruck.
Cox fired the ball to centre Robbie Hunter-Shaw who crashed through two tacklers. Cox converted.

Full back Ovi Gilder then did what he does best. Fielding a high kick on his own ten metre line he cut inside and went round and through several despairing tackles to score his first try.

Ashfield fought back to open their account following a series of quickly taken penalties on our line and for a while the pendulum swung as they regained a measure of momentum. It swung back after Staniforth and Dogiel combined to break out of defence before a Cox penalty made it 22-7.

Leeson's physical performance was rewarded when he powered his way through a couple of tacklers following a quickly-taken penalty of our own and - on the stroke of half time - Holmes re-paid Partridge by giving him the scoring pass after Newark successfully chased a kick deep into Ashfield territory.

Ashfield added their second try following a penalty for a no-arms tackle but a Newark line out enabled Cox to send the ball left and Holmes timed his pass beautifully to Gilder whose sheer pace took him over for his second.

Another series of pick and goes gave Ashfield their third try before Newark's Champagne moment.

Cox's pace took him past several defenders on a rampaging run deep into the Ashfield half and quick hands from Hunter-Shaw and winger Rhys Overland transferred the ball to Dogiel who went over for a much-deserved try. Overland's instinctive pass was a thing of beauty.

Yet another penalty and pick and go led to Ashfield's fourth - and bonus point - try before Newark replacement and former Ashfield youth player Luke Fisher popped up to send Holmes sprinting on his way for his second try. It was just reward for the centre who had a fine all-round game. At one point he carried a would-be tackler back around ten metres to the delight of the Newark supporters in the stand.
The win lifted us out of the relegation zone and up to 9th place - and also put us through to the next round of the cup.
As coach Richard Byrom pointed out, there will be some tough challenges over the remaining nine league games. But the manner of victory showed that we have a team that - on its day - deserves to stay in this league.

Tries: Ovi Gilder (2) , Calum Holmes (2) Tom Partridge, Mateusz Dolgiel, Robbie Hunter-Shaw, Nathan Leeson
Conversions: Matt Cox 4
Penalties Cox