Blues win but it may not be enough

Salisbury score again as six-point gap remains going into final two games

Newbury Blues 41 Windsor 3

BLUES got the bonus point they needed, but now they are relying upon ‘snookers’ or a Salisbury collapse if they are to snatch the promotion play-off spot in South West One East.

Salisbury’s 34-8 win at Leighton Buzzard actually took them to the top of the table after leaders Towcestrians’ home game with Trowbridge was abandoned, and both clubs remain six points ahead of Blues.

Salisbury’s remaining games at home to Witney and away to Reading, mean that they need win only one of those to seal a top two finish, while Towcestrians now have an extra game to complete and face three of the bottom four.

Blues collected their five points against a Windsor side that took time to put away with chances going begging, and it was nearly an hour before the home side had the bonus point logged.

Josh Bartlett opened the scoring after 10 minutes before Jack Gaylor’s penalty gave Windsor their only points of the game. Iain Herriott and replacement Steve Denner added further tries before the interval, but the scoreline could have been more than double the 15-3 on the board, and Windsor showed signs of making a fight of it after the re-start when Matt Balmer had a good chance and then tossed away a poor pass with Gaylor in the clear.

Blues finally got their fourth try after 58 minutes through Heriott with Dan Thorne kicking his first conversion, and Denner snapped up a second before a late double from Ben O’Shea and Mike Walker completed the scoring with Thorne converting once.