Blaydon secure 5 point bonus win – Blaydon 26 Coventry 8

 

Blaydon pulled off a bonus point win for the 2nd week in succession and continue to extend the gap between themselves and the bottom three.
On-field conditions were grim and a running game out of the question, all 5 tries coming from close range pressure, and it was the home pack that held the upper hand throughout.
Winger Zach Kibirige grabbed the opener for Blaydon when he chased down a grubber kick which was mishandled on the line, and although Cliff responded with a Coventry penalty a second try was quickly secured. When the visitors pulled down a line-out drive they lost Tom Benjamin to the sin-bin and Blaydon’s Jason Smithson was driven over at the next attempt.
The same player then repeated the score with an identical effort, his 17th of the season, but by the interval Coventry prop-forward Matt Price had also crossed from a driving maul to make it 19-8.
The second period was much ado about nothing with endless interruptions for injury and most of the play in mid-field. Coventry had a short spell of pressure without ever looking dangerous and it was left to Blaydon to press home their advantage and score a bonus point try.
They pressed the visitors line only for a maul to be pulled down and then a short scrum until finally the referee lost patience, a penalty try was awarded, and Andrew Baggett put over his third conversion.