Doncaster Knights 32 Loughborough Students 3: Knights in seventh heaven after hat-trick from Clark
The university side had made an impressive start to the season, coming to Castle Park in second place after winning five of their opening six games.
But the Knights made a major statement to the rest of National One and it is going to take something very special to remove them from the top spot on which they have an iron grip.
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Hide AdThe scoreline will strike more than a little fear into any side thinking they can rival the Knights for promotion with the division’s second-placed team reduced to a single penalty score.
A hat-trick of tries from the fleet of foot Mat Clark was the highlight of a seventh straight bonus point win from the Knights, the centre building upon the opening score from Michael Walker-Fitton.
Still far from perfection, the performance was nevertheless solid from coach Clive Griffiths’s men in front of an impressive home crowd.
For long periods they did all the right things, though there will have been some disappointment that they found themselves on the back foot for a good stretch of the second half.
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Hide AdMajor disappointment came only from a familiar source with the influential Phil Eggleshaw left nursing a badly injured shoulder and Tyson Lewis limping with a knee ligament strain, further adding to Griffiths’s injury woes.
In the opening 40 minutes, they controlled possession and territory in the main, and more importantly made the pressure count.
Two penalties from Paul Roberts gave the hosts a steady lead in the first quarter of an hour but the first real blow was struck in the middle stages of the half.
Full-back Glen Bryce broke well after receiving a kick, sparking a brilliant attacking set for his side, capped by a close-range drive from Walker-Fitton on 24 minutes, Roberts adding the extras.
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Hide AdLoughborough defended well but failed to make use of any amount of possession they had, reaching the Knights’ 22 just once during the first half, from which George Eastwell landed a 33rd-minute penalty.
It proved to be their only scoring contribution of the game as the Knights continued their control.
The hosts extended their lead with a score either side of the break, both coming from brilliant runs from Clark.
First, he somehow spotted a way through the Loughborough defence to snake his way over the line to leave a simple conversion for Roberts.
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Hide AdThen he capped a fine break, started by Paul Jarvis with the ball going through Roberts, before he was sent clear to score.
Henry Taylor wasted Loughborough’s best chance for a score as he dropped the ball a yard from the line after a good run.
The visitors enjoyed much the better of possession in the second half but the Knights defended valiantly.
The pressure began to tell after the 65th-minute mark as the Knights conceded multiple penalties and the Students were camped inside the home 22.
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Hide AdBruno Bravo was sent to the sin-bin on 67 minutes but Loughborough could not make their numerical advantage count, despite having the Knights defending on their own line.
A penalty for crossing handed possession to Doncaster and they cleared their lines, forcing their way into the opposition half for the first time since Clark’s second try.
When it seemed as though the bonus point would evade the Knights for the first time this season, a brilliant break from Clark landed it.
The centre took possession just inside his own half and surged forward, weaving his way past several tackles to race clear and secure his hat-trick.
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Hide AdThe result sent the Knights six points clear at the top of the table with a trip to seventh-placed Henley next up.
The result saw the Students drop to fourth, nine points behind Doncaster, three adrift of second-placed Esher and two behind Rosslyn Park in third.
Coventry and Wharfedale lie fifth and sixth, respectively.
Doncaster Knights: Bryce, Jarvis, Clark, Armitage, Lewis (Munro 73), Roberts (E Davies 78), Bravo, Cosgrove, Santamaria (Hunter 71), Phillips (Pasquali 54), Challinor, Walker-Fitton, Kettle, Hills, Eggleshaw (Kenworthy 62).
Loughborough Students: Pons (Moffat 40), Dowsett, Owen, Bradford, Wardle, Eastwell, H Taylor (Bliss 63), Collister (Elrington 54), Crozier (Rudland-Thomas 71), Alo, Albon (Messum 9), E Taylor, Peters, Freeman, Bone.