Newmarket's Most Complete Performance of the Season Puts Ipswich to the Sword
Newmarket reignited their season in emphatic fashion on Saturday with a commanding 68–19 victory over rivals Ipswich. In a fixture that last year influenced the upper reaches of the Eastern Counties 1 league table, both sides entered the clash searching for momentum after modest starts to the campaign.
Despite the final score line, it was Ipswich who struck first. A sharp move down the blindside saw the visitors cross in the corner to lead 0–5 after a missed conversion. But Newmarket’s response was instant. From the restart, a fumble handed the hosts a scrum in Ipswich territory, and a slick strike move through the backs ended with Tom Whiteside putting Jack Roberts away on the wing. The conversion drifted wide, leaving the teams level at 5–5.
Newmarket began to assert control through their dominant set-piece. Another solid scrum provided quick ball for centre Freddie McKibbin, who broke the line and fed winger Josh Andrews to score in the corner. Fred added the extras to make it 12–5, and suddenly the home side were in full flow.
Moments later, scrum-half Huw Walters spotted space and took a quick tap penalty, catching the Ipswich defence off guard. After several phases and patient build-up play, Matt Dyer powered over for a rare try, converted again to stretch the lead to 19–5.
Confidence surged through the Newmarket ranks. A sweeping move through the backs, featuring an audacious offload from Whiteside, saw Andrews dive over for his second and the team’s bonus-point try. At 26–5, the hosts were rampant.
Ipswich, however, showed resilience and clawed one back through their forwards after a spell of sustained pressure to make it 26–12. Yet Newmarket refused to loosen their grip. Another flowing passage from the forwards to the backs released Andrews once more, who completed a stunning first-half hat-trick.
Half-time: Newmarket 33–12 Ipswich.
The second half began cagily, with both teams trading possession in midfield. But when Ipswich’s fly-half mishandled under pressure, McKibbin reacted fastest to intercept and race under the posts untouched, extending the lead to 40–12.
Ipswich again rallied with a powerful try from close range (40–19), but their momentum was quickly halted by the introduction of replacement scrum-half Ed Spetch, who brought fresh tempo to Newmarket’s attack. Spotting a gap around the fringes, Spetch broke through and unselfishly passed to Dyer for his second try of the afternoon. 47–19.
From there, Newmarket turned on the style. Andrews claimed his fourth following a slick exchange across the backline, before Roberts grabbed his second after fine work from Fred and Ben Robinson. 61–19.
There was still time for one more highlight and a personal milestone. Collecting the ball deep inside his own 22, Andrews showed blistering pace and footwork to tear through the Ipswich defence and score his fifth of the day, bringing up his 50th career try for Newmarket in spectacular fashion.
This was Newmarket’s most complete performance of the season, dominant at the scrum, dynamic in attack, and clinical in finishing. Josh Andrews’ five-try haul was the standout individual display, but it was the cohesion and speed across the entire backline that truly underpinned the victory.
Full-time: Newmarket 68–19 Ipswich | Tries: Andrews (5), Roberts (2), Dyer (2), McKibbin (1) Conversions: McKibbin (9)
