Blues advance over muddy ground

Windsor win helps to nibble away at the gap at the top

Windsor 7 Newbury Blues 37

BLUES emerged from the clinging mud to nibble away at the two teams above them in South West One East.

An admitteddly sometimes scrappy win in east Berkshire was justified, and the bonus point took them closer to Maidenhead, who were beaten at Banbury, and leaders Old Patesians, who had to settle for a formula victory at Royal Wootton Bassett.

Blues had taken 65 minutes to get going against Swindon the previous week, and it was 25 before they emerged at Home Park. But for all their early pressure, Windsor failed to put a point on the board, and having sucked that up, Blues broke devastatingly to take the lead through a Nick Wackwitz penalty and Jamie Futcher touched down two minutes later.

The second half saw Blues up the pace and Dan Thorne darted in by the posts for a converted score before Ryan Davis danced his way in for another seven-pointer, four minutes later.

Duncan Craigen burst in for the five-point earning try, and although a Windsor break-out produced seven points for full back Jack Gaylor, Blues made further chances, taking two of them via Josh Love and Dan Thorne to record a valuable derby win.

Newbury Blues: T. Thorne; Hackett, D. Thorne, Love, Fitcher; Wackwitz, Pigott; Hicks, Drysdale, Johnstone; Bastable, Doel; Guyatt, D. Stewart, Davis. Subs: Macauley, Craigen, Golby-Barr.