Longlevens opened their league campaign with a hard-fought 36–31 victory away at Newbury Blues in a contest that had all the feel of a basketball match, with both sides trading tries throughout.
The Griffins handed league debuts to three of last year’s Colts , Tom Hayes, Alfie Turner, and Sam Reynolds, all of whom acquitted themselves superbly. Turner made an immediate impact, scoring with his very first touch of the ball to mark the occasion in style.
In a game where defence often took a back seat, Longlevens were guilty of lacking aggression without the ball, allowing Newbury to keep pace when the visitors might otherwise have pulled clear. The scoring was end-to-end, with Newbury responding almost every time the Griffins crossed the whitewash.
The turning point came in the second half, when Longlevens strung together three tries in succession to seize control. However, a lapse in concentration let Newbury back into the game, setting up a nervy final ten minutes.
The tries were shared across the team: Alfie Turner, Isaac Meredith, Tom Barton, Steve Phillips, Mark Hancock, notching his first in years and only the fourth of an incredible 250-game club career, and Jed Holman-Jones all got on the scoresheet.
There was further drama when Brad Wilkins received a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on near the Griffins’ try line, but the side showed grit and togetherness to hold firm and secure a valuable five-point win on the road.
A result to be proud of, and a bright start to the season, but with clear work needed in defence if Longlevens are to build on this opening-day success.
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