Sat 7 Feb 2026
A much changed Ashington went down heavily to table topping Barney on a wet, cold afternoon.
Ash started strongly and scrummaged well throughout the game; a strong run from Reynolds, who had a good game in both attack and defence set up an early attacking position but a lost ball enabled Barney to clear.
The home side took the lead with their first real attack after 11 minutes and extended their lead after 16 minutes with a second converted try. The next 15 minutes were even, but poor hands from Ashington frequently let them down as they continued to use a long passing game in wet conditions. Barney always looked dangerous on the ball, and the Ash defence wasn’t helped by individual errors, Ash conceding 3 further first half trys in the final 7 minutes of the half. Half time 31-0, with the travelling supporters fearing the worst.
The second half was an even affair, with Ash taking better options, and Barneys only try coming from another individual error. The Ashington try came late on. A Hepple cross field chip was caught by Jarvis who beat his first man and fed Joey Moulding on the crash, Moulding was held up just short but Hepple had followed up his chip to drive over for the try.
This was a better second half performance and Ash continued to give opportunities to youngsters Moulding, Townsley, Richardson and Durkin, all of whom showed promise and commitment. The scrum was strong throughout the game and Lansbury in the centre carried powerfully but Ash really need to adapt more quickly to the conditions and play to their strengths.
Ashingtons man of the match was veteran back row forward and Asst Coach Darren Dickinson
This coming Saturday Ash are at home to North Shields KO 2pm, the team would appreciate your support.
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