"As a club, we are so proud of the players who in the face of adversity have beaten our bitter rivals in an important cup game. The power of our 'team', lacking 12 players, was a true testament to the spirit of the 'team' and the togetherness, whilst also signalling our potential.

"When you consider that we were missing so many key players (and then lost James Harris to injury after 20 minutes!) and were playing with our 5th half back combination in as many games, the fluidity of our attacking performance should be applauded and celebrated. Particular mention should go to Matt Garner who stepped up at fly half and ran the game superbly adding a different dimension to our attacking play. Dave Bargent, a flanker, but forced into action on the wing due to seven backs being out injured, was also a key player for us and Captain for the day Chris Bentley was mercurial, like a vintage wine at its finest, and controlled the operation from start to finish.

"As a group of players, they have taken recent criticism of their performances to heart and taken action against the comments. The feedback and criticism has been honest and brutal at times, and it is the sign of a strong 'team' that they have acted upon this and this was there for all to see in our performance. The work ethic in training has increased and that is the most pleasing aspect.

"We are capable of being better than we were today and were disappointed to have conceded a couple of needless scores that Newton did not have to work hard for. That said, it was our best attacking performance of the season, with a fair amount to work on with our defensive shape. Our kick off chase and regroup was poor and we allowed Kyle and Martin Browne too much time and space with the ball in hand allowing them to cause a bit of damage."

Tries: Cushion x2, Powell, Garner, Goldson
Conversions: Powell x4
Penalties: Powell x2

Ends

Regards
Jon Hill
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