Novos 22, Blaydon 10 - Up The Vos !

A strong squad hosted Blaydon 3/4's on Saturday with our opponents bolstered by their second team against Boro called off. Several second teamers sat out the first half perhaps hoping for our boys to tire in the heat and they could reap the rewards.

Novos got off to a great start as we looked to hit the middle and then go wide. Jamie Lishman was pulling the string at 10 and put his Old Novocatrians school mate through in Isaac Robinson. We were struggling at scrum time against some very experienced front rowers but still managed to maintain possession.

We opened the scoring after Lishman made a break and fed captain for the day Ben Kelly. He raced in untouched for a try under the posts, converted by Christian Selkirk.

It was a real competitive game with Blaydon having their share of the ball. When they were in possession Alex Cokeley made several telling tackles and Ross Radford (ex Gateshead RFC) put a few shots on. It was from this attitude in defence that we scored another try as we turned over the ball near Blaydon's 22m. Sam Bird through a wide pass out to Ben Kelly for him to finish well against some covering defence. Novos up 12-0.

Blaydon had several good players on show - enjoyed watching Old Allanian James Murray playing senior rugby at flyhallf. A long way from his days on the wing at school. Great to see Northumberland Centurions youngster Jack Inglis continuing his path into senior rugby. Blaydon scored a good try to come back into the game at 12-5. Their kicker was fuming as no one gave him the kicking tee as he missed the drop kick from in front.

Second half started as the first half finished with Blaydon on top. They went in under the posts as a few fresh legs had come on for them at half time and threatened to change the game. Again, Blaydon's kicker looked bemused as once again the tee didn't arrive. 100% failure rate continued as he missed another drop kick from in front. I felt a bit sorry for him as I assume if the tee had of appeared we would've been down 14-12. Not our problem so we took a 12-10 lead into the last quarter.

We had a squad of 21-22 compared to Blaydon's larger squad so guys rotated on and off to keep our energy high. On the back of a few penalties we moved up the field. Our line out had dominated that facet of the game and we used it well to score our next try with a rumble over from youngster Rhys Gibbons. Fantastic conversion added from wide out by Stephen Wood - easy when you have a kicking tee ! Novos up 19-10.

The boys showed how much the fixture meant to them as we chose to kick a penalty in the last ten mins rather than risk going into the corner and not scoring. The penalty from Stephen Wood basically finished the contest at 22-10.

Both clubs enjoyed what was a competitive fixture - a rare occurrence at times below first team level. Thank you to Andy McDonough for officiating and creating an enjoyable fixture.

Cheers for the game Blaydon - please get the tee on next week ! Thought your scrum was strong, some big hits throughout the game and I hope you enjoyed your beers in the sunshine.

Novos lads - great win with a positive environment as the foundation. Enjoyed seeing Tom Dias get 50 mins under his belt and young Rhys Gibbons showing ability in his new hooking role. Awesome to get Tom Cox his first contact match of the season and young Jack Shanahan grafted in the engine room alongside Tom. In the back row Alex Cokeley and Ross Radford led the boys in contact putting in some great shots.

Out wide I really enjoyed the high basic skill level of Jamie Lishman at ten alongside his RGS school mate in Isaac Robinson. Important 50-60 mins from Sam Bird as he continues to develop his ability to play 12 as this may be needed as the season goes along. Ben Kelly got a great double and it was a big moment to see Tim Hart back making tackles after a result shoulder injury.

Debutant Dylan Murphy showed real promise off the wing and a cameo in the centres - looks a good prospect as he was calm and showed some good skills.

A really good performance from a great set of lads - cheers to Brendan Thomas for finishing work at 1400 and then heading straight to the game. Tom Dias seemed incredibly grateful when you turned up. Thank you to Jack Pellew for helping run the side.

Next up for this group of 2/3/4's is 31st August when they play Gateshead at home with an expected kick off at 1500.

Up the Vos - rugby for all, rugby for life.