Rugby
Barnard Castle ……………. 29
North Shields ………………. 12
With injuries and unavailability, Barney had to make a number of changes ahead of their game with North Shields.
Flankers Jack Franks and Jack Tobbell found themselves in the backs, whilst fellow back-row specialist Jon Lucas moved into the front-row and coach Sam Errington dusted off his boots for the first time this season to come in at fly-half.
It took a little while for combinations to gel and the gusty wind made things difficult for both teams in a scrappy opening 20 minutes.
Eventually, things began to come together and Castle pressure close to the North Shields’ line was rewarded when a quick tap penalty by Rees Doyle saw Henry Thompson power over from close range. With Errington slotting the conversion, Castle led 7-0.
They soon added to their lead when another quick tap by Doyle saw excellent newcomer, Ben Parker, crash over for his first club try. With the conversion missed, Castle led 12-0.
The lead then grew to 19-0 as half-time approached when, with a penalty coming, a great pass by Errington saw Jack Franks burst through on an excellent line for a well-taken try.
The second half opened with Barney pressing for a fourth try and bonus point, but a couple of excellent opportunities were missed before winger Jack Clarke latched onto a kick through and raced over for the try.
With Errington securing the difficult conversion the lead stood at 26-0 and the bonus point was in the bag.
North Shields managed to hit back immediately with a well-taken try and then Barney won a penalty under the posts to extend the lead to 29-5 as the game drew to a close.
There was still time for the visitors to score a late consolation try, which was converted, to leave the scores at 29-12 as the final whistle sounded.
There were plenty of contenders for man of the match including Ben Parker, Jon Lucas and James Peareth who all had excellent games in the pack, but the opposition nominated Sam Errington for his superb performance, pulling the strings at fly half.
The game was sponsored by the club’s Old Boys.
Saturday sees an away trip to top of the table Redcar.
Nick Raper
