Newbury end awayday blues

Victory at Windsor puts them back on track

Windsor 7 Newbury Blues 24

BLUES coach Lee Goodall ‘got rid of a few demons’ as his side put their South West Division 1 East promotion challenge back on track.
Newbury had seen their chances of finishing in the top two severely hampered by four straight away defeats.
But this bonus-point victory leaves them well placed for a big push in the second half of the season.
Goodall said: “It was a brilliant display and I could not have asked for more from the players.
“We have tried to change the mindset about going away and made a few changes to our preparations.
“This was a good result and got rid of a few demons because that is the first time I have ever won at Windsor as a coach and it ended our losing run on the road.”
Blues had lost at Windsor on their last three visits, but they were always on top this time out.
Although they had to soak up a bit of early pressure, they gradually got on top and it was no surprise when they went ahead in the 20th minute.
The forwards drove into the home 22 following a line-out before spinning the ball out for Toby Thorne to burst through several tackles to score under the posts.
Dan Thorne kicked the conversion.
Another line-out led to Blues’ second try 13 minutes later.
Joe Pigott fed the ball out to the backs where Toby Thorne and Iain Herriott made good darting runs before for the rapid Josh Bartlett to break through and score, Thorne again adding the extras.
Blues virtually put the game out of reach with a third try eight minutes after the restart.
A through-the-legs pass from Toby Thorne found Bartlett, who burst through the defensive line before releasing Steve Denner to score wide out on the left.
And Newbury stretched their lead to 24-0 in the 52nd minute.
Good pressure led to Windsor coughing the ball up in their own 22, and Thorne latched onto a chip over the top to set up Rob Drysdale for his side’s fourth try.
Newbury’s momentum was halted by a harsh yellow card, and Windsor were rewarded for their late rally when they went over for a converted try six minutes from time.
But it was too little too late and Blues held on comfortably for an important win.
Newbury’s next game is a tough home game on Saturday against Swindon who also got back to winning ways with a 52-23 victory over Maidenhead (3pm).
Blues: Hicks, Drysdale, G Stewart, O’Shea, Doel, Guyatt, Davis, Winfield, Pigott, Thorne, Denner, I Herriott, Bartlett, Thorne, A Herriott, Sanders, D Stewart, Futcher.