On Saturday, our 1XV welcomed Ashington to Mackinlay Park on a perfect afternoon for rugby.
On Saturday, our 1XV welcomed Ashington to Mackinlay Park on a perfect afternoon for rugby..

Redcar started the game attacking the clubhouse end, but a couple of early errors gifted Ashington a straightforward three points. That setback sparked the hosts into life, and they responded with 18 unanswered points.

Number 8 Dom Ayre opened the scoring in style with a cheeky 20-metre pick-and-go that caught everyone off guard — including a few of his own teammates. Josh Dixon added the next, capitalising on a clever kick through from Daniel Addison. Josh applied a second nudge before diving on the ball to finish.
Ashington struck back just before half-time, their powerful forwards doing the hard work around the ruck before bundling over.

Half-time: 18–10

Redcar were first to score after the break. A dominant scrum earned a penalty five metres out, and from the resulting move the forwards set the platform for Brad Smith to power over.
Ashington responded once again, their pack drawing in defenders before shifting the ball wide for their winger to finish in the corner.

Redcar had the final say to cap off a performance that has been building for weeks. A loose ball was hacked through and gathered by Brad Smith, whose “parachute” came out just short of the line. Two quick rucks later, the ball was recycled sharply and scrum-half Caleb Kasonali spotted a gap to snipe over and seal the win.

Massive credit to Ashington, who find themselves in a similar battle to ourselves, and congratulations to their lads on making their debuts.

This was a hard-earned performance from Redcar — built through weeks of graft on the training field and in tough fixtures. It was much needed, thoroughly deserved, and celebrated properly.

Thank you to everyone who came down to support — it makes a huge difference. ?