Herald Express (Torbay, Brixham & South Hams Edition)
Newton need to improve for basement battle
SOUTH WEST PREMIER
Newton Abbot player-coach Matt Jess wants to see an improvement from the lowly All Whites when they host Drybrook in a basement battle this Saturday.
Newton dipped to a third successive defeat last time out when they were beaten 34-17 at Cleve.
A late try by Kyle Browne, converted by Rob Avery-Wright, made the sco- reline a little more respectable from a Newton Abbot viewpoint.
Had Cleve kicked their goals – they failed with their first four conversions and a penalty before half time – the winning margin would have been far greater. Newton could be dragged into the bottom three if they lose this Saturday, which puts the pressure on the players to perform.
“If we want to achieve anything this season – and we are one from four at the moment – we need a big win over Drybrook and to push that forward into the next few games,” said Jess.
Jess, who played much of the game in unfamiliar territory at full-back after Will Castleton went off with a hamstring strain, felt Newton could have played better.
“You expect experienced players to catch the ball in their red zone, not to drop it,” said Jess.
Brixham's Adam Thomas and Barnstaple's Winston James fly high during a line-out at Astey Park
“Although Cleve took their tries well, when we play them again we will know how to beat them.
“When they got the ball out wide, we were not getting up to them.”
Concluding the inquest, Jess said: “Too many infringements killed us.”
Fogden’s fourth-minute try, converted by Avery-Wright, was Newton’s only score until the 52nd minute when Avery-Wright slotted a penalty.
Cleve had all six of their tries in the book when Browne finally went over five minutes from time.
Jess went into full-back 10 minutes into the game, sparking a mini-reshuffle that saw Croatian youth international Filip Percie come on in the centre.
Percie and fellow countryman Dino Bozic played for Teignmouth in South West One last season.
They trialled with a number of clubs in the close season before plumping for the All Whites.