Blues secure top three finish with 11 try win over Grove

Newbury Blues secured a third placed finish in the Regional 2 Tribute South Central table following an emphatic 67-0 win over Grove.

The first quarter of an hour was an even contest but the visitors had a man sent to the sin bin and Blues were soon able to capitalise when a line-out ball was spread quickly through the backs and Josh Bartlett scored down the left-hand side to make it 5-0.

The floodgates weren't long in opening and the hosts scored 38 points in the next 25 minutes to race into a 43-0 lead at the break.

Harry Isaac was the next man on the scoresheet when he was fastest to Freddie Beharrell's neat grubber in-field before chasing down his own kick to score and make it 10-0.

The powerful Oli Rhoads then burst through to score from 30m before Bartlett scored his second and Blues had a bonus point while stand-in kicker Jamie Futcher had his eye in, kicking two successful conversions.

Jonny Lees then scored a superb solo effort from inside his own half and the prolific Toby Thorne also got in on the act, scoring out wide after prolonged pressure from the home side.

Jamal Watson gathered a loose Grove pass to add the final blow before half time but there was no respite for the visitors in the second period as Ali Magee scored twice in five minutes and then Josh Winfield released Beharrell to cross for a well-deserved try to make it 60-0 with 13 minutes still to play.

To Grove's credit, the beleaguered visitors stuck to their task and limited Blues to just one more try in that time as head coach James McAvoy made one final inspired substitution, bringing himself on and subsequently scoring under the posts before Futcher added his sixth successful conversion of a memorable afternoon.

Blues now turn their attention to the Papa John's Cup.