Blues shell-shocked by the seashore

Cockles muscle out visitors

Exmouth 45 Newbury Blues 25

EXMOUTH’S Cockles were alive-alive-oh as their returning wounded inspired a bonus point win while Blues were left looking like shelled prawns as they were washed back in the South West Premier League’s bottom four.

Exmouth dominated up front and but for gifting Blues two tries, would have been far away out to sea before the interval.

Blues travel sickness, aided by injuries, again bit and they were shorn of Duncan Craigen and Josh Love with worrying knocks just before and just after the interval.

Debutants May Hayman and James Lewis found themselves with the impossible task of clawing back the deficit and the consolation was that Blues dipped close to a bonus point of their own.

They trailed to Sam Richardson’s eighth minute try and although Richard West slotted over a penalty, the first of two penalty tries signaled what was to happen, but only after fly half Tom Whelan had handed Blues skipper Dan Thorne an interception try and West a conversion and Blues had their best spell until more penalties ended with winger Richard Bright touching down.

Again Blues were gifted seven points when Josh Winfield charged down Whelan’s kick and Alex Millar dotted down under the posts for West to convert, and although Whelan added three points before the break, the deficit was not out of reach.

But another penalty try and touchdowns from Henry Goldson and Davey McGregor, countered only by a West penalty, left Blues only with a go-for-glory finish that yielded a try for Tony Pearce, but not another that would have at least made a late point.

Newbury Blues: Bartlett; Pearce, D. Thorne, Love, Futcher; West, Pigott; Hicks, Macauley, Johnston; Doel, Craigen; Winfield, Spanswick, Millar. Subs: Robinson-Slater, Hayman, Lewis.