Another injury blow for Blues

Fly half Will Clarke has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken elbow

NEWBURY BLUES' have suffered another long-term injury blow after fly half Will Clarke was ruled out for the rest of the season with a broken elbow.

The young playmaker fell awkwardly after a tackle in last Saturday's game with Ealing and was due to undergo an operation this week.

It is another setback for bottom of the table Blues in advance of Saturday's trip to Taunton, one of the clubs still harbouring hopes of winning promotion from National League Two South.

Oscar Matthews stepped into the breach on Saturday and will keep the role at Taunton, when Blues will also be without winger Johan Knapp. His season also ended early last Saturday when he went off injured shortly after half-time, and he has now flown to start university in South Africa.

Blues will hope to have skipper Martin Freeman back from a knee injury and scrum half Andy Gale, who also went off injured against Ealing but has recovered from a head wound.

Newbury travel to a Taunton side which is likely to include Blues 'old boys' Waylon Gasson, Sean Fox and Jon Martin and which won 74-22 at Monks Lane in October.

Blues have enjoyed some on-field success this week after the Colts team won 34-3 at Cleeve to reach the regional quarter finals of the National Colts Cup. They now travel to Cirencester in the next stage on February 13.