Newark see off promotion rivals

A strong performance helped Newark claim an important 3-2 home victory against fellow promotion-chasers Leicester Westleigh.

Their opponents started the match four points ahead of Newark going into the match, but the gap was reduced to one as a result of Newark’s win.

A cagey first-half saw chances created for both teams, with direct passing and quick breaks helping to create an open style of play.

Benjie Groom was the unlikely scorer of the game’s opener, pushing forward from full back to receive Josh Dent’s pass in the circle.

He played a cross that flew across the circle, evading everyone before ending up in the far corner of the Westleigh goal.

Their opponents attacked with vigour in the second-half, scoring an equaliser from the spot after a penalty corner routine found David Colcomb’s foot on the line.

Westleigh continued to press but Newark fashioned chances of their own, scoring from their own penalty corner to take the lead once again through Alex Davies.

Two green cards in quick succession put Newark under pressure and, with only nine home players on the pitch, Westleigh equalised for a second time.

Once restored to a full complement of players, Newark were able to force a penalty corner to push for a winner.

The ball went wide to Ben Brown, who picked the perfect pass to Dent who flicked high in the net to seal the victory.

Leicester Westleigh 2nds 2 Newark Mens 2nds 2

A draw was enough to keep Newark top of the table as they contained the side currently lying second.

Newark travelled with 12 players for the fixture, but this was reduced to 11 during the warm-up when James Middleton suffered a calf injury.

Westleigh started the match in the ascendency and scored two scrappy goals — both efforts that Newark failed to clear before they rolled over the line.

Newark were forced to dig deep to stop Westleigh’s attacks and try to get some sort of possession in the game.

They received a huge break midway through the first-half when the Westleigh keeper was shown a yellow card for abusive language.

It was upgraded to a red card as he continued to comment on his way off the pitch.

Nigel Bett scored from the resulting short corner to reduce the arrears before half-time.

Newark struggled to make use of the extra man on a sandy and slow pitch, which affected the pace of their attacks.

They finally found an equaliser when a good pass found Tom Broome through on goal. He rounded the keeper before finishing into an empty net.

Broome had a chance to grab a winner, but the ball just evaded him on a fast break as Newark had to settle for a point.

Boots Ladies 4ths 1 Newark Ladies 2nds 4

Sophie Chambers produced a dominant performance as Newark comfortably completed their second successive win.

She scored two second-half strikes to seal the victory as Newark proved too strong for their opponents to handle.

After a strong start, Mel Woods opened the scoring when she tucked in a rebound from three feet following a saved Vicky McMunn shot.

Newark continued to press and McMunn added a second with a fierce strike that gave the keeper no chance.

Newark began to lose their shape at the end of the first-half, and Boots nearly pulled one back.

They did, however, reduce the deficit soon after half-time.

Newark then took control with some good passing play and Chambers added two with goals from open play to seal the game.

She could have scored a hat-trick but saw another shot fly over the bar.