Westoe’s winning run ends at Nuneaton
SECOND BEST ... Graeme Haswell scores for Westoe's second team at the weekend, but they lost to Blaydon.
WESTOE’S eight-game winning streak came crashing to a halt with an 18-14 defeat away to Nuneaton, their second successive loss there.
However, despite a poor performance on a bitterly cold day, the Shieldsmen still managed to pick up a losing bonus point.
Captain Gareth Nesbit felt that a combination of poor play and bad luck cost his side at Liberty Way.
He said: “I was very disappointed with the performance and felt we made far too many errors.
“Nuneaton set themselves up very strongly defensively, so you have to give them credit.
“We did manage to pick up the bonus point, which is a positive, but it still doesn’t hide the fact that we were poor.
“We stuck at it though, and I felt that Dom (Connly) did well when he came on.”
The game’s pivotal moment came in the 62nd minute when it appeared that hooker Richie Thirkell had gone over to score amongst a mass of players from both teams.
The try was not given, although the Westoe players, coaches and fans were convinced it should have stood.
Nesbit said: “Richie (Thirkell) is convinced that he scored. I was right in among it so I didn’t really see, but our players’ reaction told me they also thought he got it.
“There was a few dubious decisions today. Sometimes they go your way, but today they didn’t and it’s frustrating.”
Nuneaton found themselves in front after just seven minutes thanks to fly-half Lee Chapman’s penalty.
The advantage was doubled on 21 minutes from the same source.
But it was Westoe who went into thd break in front thanks to centre Mark Bedworth’s try and conversion on 32 minutes.
Nuneaton came out strongly after the break, however, with two tries coming in the first 15 minutes.
First winger Elliott Brown used his pace to go over under the posts on 43 minutes before lock Will Ward touched down from a maul 12 minutes later.
Then came the controversial moment when Thirkell thought he had scored, but the Westoe protests were ignored by the officials.
Bedworth’s second try and conversion on 68 minutes gave the South Tynesiders hope and set up a tasty last 10 minutes, but Nuneaton managed to hold on for a nail-biting win.
Nesbit now hopes the Shieldsmen can bounce back against Preston Grasshoppers.
Nuneaton: Stefan Cooksammy, Will Cave, Richard Johnson, Tim Douglas, Elliott Brown, Lee Chapman, Huw Thomas, Olly Taylor, Nick Smith, Jon Pateman, Will Ward, Llyr Griffiths, Andy Dockray, Darren Forder, Sam Gibbons. Replacements: Peter Cook, Adam Ross, Mark Dunkley, Alex Fan, Ben Owen, Tom Smitham.
Westoe: Simon O’Farrel, Lewis Johnston, James Clark, Mark Bedworth, Tommy Banks, Charlie Rayner, Peter Phelan; Gareth Nesbit, Richard Thirkell, Haydn Richards, John Younghusband, Jake Lilley, Rory Duff, Rob Adair, Oliver Stedman. Replacements: Dom Connly, Mark Bentham, Joe McKenzie, Andrew Kirton, Michael Booth.
Referee: Rob Warburton (Godalming, Surrey)
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Weather for Jarrow
Thursday 24 May 2012
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Temperature: 10 C to 19 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
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