Blaydon 27 – Loughborough Students 23

The Students usually have the ‘Indian sign’ over the home side and for 15 minutes were on schedule to continue the sequence. A Tom James penalty and Jack Pons try put them ahead with the Blaydon defensive line at full stretch and unable to get their hands on the ball.

Things then changed dramatically at the first scrum which saw the students in full retreat losing 20 metres, and at the next, and for the rest of the game.

By half-time the early 10 points reversal had become 17-10 with Tom Jeffery cutting a fine line in the corner, and Harry Bate under the posts from set pieces, and then a breakaway effort from home full-back Nathan Bailey after Loughborogh had inexplicably ignored a kickable penalty to tap and run only to lose possession.

Pons scored his second on 44 minutes with a fine run down the right only for Jeffery chasing an up and under to send in Toby Bain at the other end, a carbon copy of a disallowed effort minutes earlier.

Will Roberts charged down a Blaydon clearance resulting in a Harry Elrington try that took it to 24-20 and from then it was anyone’s game.

Andrew Baggett and Sam Pointon exchanged penalties, Loughborough retained possession for long spells, but in the end it was the Blaydon forwards who ruled the roost.

Star man: Matt Rogerson (Loughborough)
Referee: James Clarke
Attendance: 202
HT: 17-10 FT: 27-23

Scoring

Blaydon
Tries: Jeffery 23, Bate 30, Bailey 40, Bain 57
Conversions: Baggett 30,57.
Penalty: Baggett 66

Loughborough
Tries: Pons 10, 44, Elrington 62.
Conversions: James 10.
Penalty: James 4, Pointon 70.

Reporter: John Brennan