ON A windswept and showery afternoon at Bath Road, Newent Seconds produced a composed and ultimately decisive performance to overcome Stroud Seconds 25–10, combining early ruthlessness with late control to secure a well-earned victory, writes Paul Dando.

Stroud kicked off towards the Bath Road end and immediately pinned Newent back inside their own half, dominating territory in the opening exchanges. However, a loose ball proved costly for the visitors as Sam Woolley reacted quickest, falling on possession to spark a Newent counter.

The ball was moved swiftly to Adrian Connelly, who burst through the initial defence before accelerating clear of the cover to touch down beneath the posts. Henry Howe added the conversion to give Newent the perfect start.

Stroud responded by applying sustained pressure, making life difficult for the Newent defence. A crucial jackal from Tommy Devries halted their momentum, though it came at a cost as Devries suffered a leg injury that ended his afternoon. Thankfully it was not a recurrence of a previous serious injury, but his absence was a significant loss nonetheless.

Newent continued to compete fiercely at the breakdown, with flanker Josh Ormond producing an excellent jackal on his own 22 to win a relieving penalty. Howe found touch deep inside the Stroud 22, and moments later Stroud were penalised again for offside, allowing Howe to extend the lead with a well-struck penalty.

From the restart Stroud were again penalised inside their own 22, and Howe punished them further with a perfectly judged 50–22. From the resulting lineout, hooker Tyler Keveren found Woolley, and the ball was quickly shifted wide to Connelly, who crossed for his second try in a flash.

Stroud showed resilience, stringing together several promising phases and appearing to have broken through, only for Connelly to produce a fine covering tackle to deny what looked a certain try.

The home side continued to press and were unfortunate to be penalised for a knock-on when a Newent hand appeared involved. Just before the interval, Newent suffered another blow as Jordan Devries was forced off injured, just as he was beginning to impose himself physically.

The second half saw Howe restart with a deep kick that kept Stroud pinned back, though the home side eventually earned a penalty near halfway and kicked into Newent territory. From a well-worked ruck, Alex Hoyle broke free to score around 15 metres in from touch, though the conversion was missed.

Stroud enjoyed their best spell soon after, adding a second try when Aiden Riley chased down a clever chip ahead to score, again around 15 metres from touch. Once more, the conversion went astray, a crucial missed opportunity.

With Stroud’s experienced pack causing problems, the momentum threatened to swing. However, Newent steadied themselves superbly. A strong carry from Sean Barriskel helped force a penalty which Howe converted, providing welcome breathing space.

A yellow card for Stroud halted their progress further, and Newent capitalised. Howe broke sharply before being hauled down just short, but Barriskel was on hand to crash over near the posts. Howe added the conversion to seal the result.

Despite difficult conditions, there were many strong Newent performances. Woolley was tireless throughout, but Josh Ormond edged the Man of the Match award with his outstanding breakdown work and support play in a disciplined team effort.