Alnwick 2's 31, Novos 2's 24 - Narrow Away Loss

In a thrilling encounter in the freezing, windy surrounds of Northumberland, Alnwick emerged victorious with a final score of 31-24. The match proved to be a testament to hard-nosed defence and determination, with Alnwick making full use of their formidable forward pack and the wind, which was very much in their favour during the first forty. Novos, on the other hand, showcased tremendous fighting spirit, staging a commendable comeback and ultimately falling short by a cruel 7 points.

From the outset, Alnwick dominated the first half. Their powerful pack must have outweighed the Vos by a combined three tonnes, and their talented number 8 managed to rack up a hatrick of tries early on with a combination of pace and power. The wind played a significant factor, turning their lacklustre kickers into Slade-esque cannon booted maestros and finding touch behind our line several times. Notable performances from the first half include Rhys Gibbons and Jack Ribton, both flying off the line to make some rib-tickling tackles under pressure, and Ollie Towe at 9, making the most of bad ball and keeping us in the game.

The second half of the game put the wind at our backs, and we were able to paint a very different picture. Undeterred by the first half and inspired by late-arriving skipper Shaun Stewart, Vos returned to the field with renewed vigour. Jack Ribton kicked off the scoring with a fantastic close-range effort, followed by Gibbons muscling over - both of their efforts in the first half paying off in the second. We carried hard and kicked well, with great carries made by Josh Hood up front and Luke Masters in the wide spaces. From here, some first-class decision making by Stewart, and excellent skills in the backline to turn their forwards and kick for pressure meant we were able to turn the screw. A well-worked try from Barney Youlden was quickly followed by another from Masters, who cut a hard line in the centre of the field and raced under the posts to dot down. We were slowly closing the gap, and for the last 10 minutes, only 7 points separated the teams.

From minutes 70-80, Vos camped inside the Alnwick 22, determined to carry over the line, but a mixture of dogged defense and offensive yips led to an Alnwick scrum for the last play of the game with them maintaining their 7-point lead. Dramatic to the last, Alwnick managed to nearly lose the ball from an uncontested scrum, and our forwards flew into one last ruck before they managed to get the ball out.

The Novos boys showed fantastic spirit, and some standout performances from 1-15 meant we left Alwnick feeling like we deserved more from the game.

Hopefully, our 1's will go that short step further in their encounter with Alnwick 2's when a playing date is finally agreed.

Report courtesy of Harry Mason