A SUPERB second-half display saw Rams Under 16s crowned OBB League champions with a hard-fought 18-12 victory in an Old Bath Road contest which showcased the best of Berkshire youth rugby.
With a decent crowd in attendance, it was the home side who made the initial breakthrough, Rhys Smith riding over from the back of a maul in the right-hand corner.
Newbury, though, hit back strongly, and put themselves in front as Ollie Clarke darted over from close range before Ed Perceval added the extras to make it 7-5.
The West Berkshire men controlled the remainder of the opening period, and deservedly moved further in front as Kamran Paul also dotted down from near the line.
Trailing 12-5 at the break, Rams responded emphatically as they struck back through Aaron Lamb, the wing finishing tidily on the left.
And they swiftly got in front following a wave of attacks, Ben Parsons diving over in the clubhouse corner off the back of a lovely pass from stand-out scrum-half Aidan Pugh.
Having seen a penalty attempt drift just wide of the uprights, Luke Thorpe then landed a three-pointer to give his side a little bit of breathing space, albeit Newbury continued to battle hard.
However, Rams maintained their territorial advantage, limiting the visitors to long-range efforts which came to nothing, leaving the bulk of the crowd happy when the final whistle was blown on an afternoon when man-of-the-match Finlay Wells stole the show with a superb defensive display at outside centre.
Rams’ first XV had to settle for the runners-up spot in National One as champions Cambridge thrashed visitors Birmingham Moseley 59-10 to take the title on Saturday.
The home side trailed 3-0 after half-an-hour, but they scored three quick tries before the break, two converted for a 16-point advantage.
The Blood & Sand grabbed the bonus-point before Moseley hit back for 26-10, but it was one-way traffic from there as Cambridge grabbed top spot for the first time all season just when it mattered the most.
Ending level with Rams on 114 points, one clear of Sale, it was Richie Williams’ side who edged it due to an extra draw, both clubs having won 22 of their 26 matches.
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By Richard Ashton
