NEWCASTLE FALCONS 21 BATH RUGBY 21
It was no more than the Falcons deserved as they looked in decent shape in the first of their three warm-up games ahead of the new Aviva Premiership season.
The sides will meet again at Kingston Park on September 6 when the Aviva Premiership clicks into gear, and the early-evening run-out in temperatures hovering around the 30-degrees mark will have proved useful for both sets of players.
Bath centre Matt Banahan looked to have settled the result eight minutes from time, when he plucked a floated midfield pass out of their air for an interception run-in.
But a resurgent Newcastle battled back to level the scores on 78 minutes when Kiwi wing Ryan Shortland cut inside to score, Phil Godman converting.
The Scotland fly-half kicked three from three on the night – neither side opting to take three points as penalties were instead booted into touch.
It was from one such attacking line-out that Bath opened the scoring midway through the first-half, Anthony Perenise being driven over in the left corner before Tom Heathcote added the extras from out wide.
A 14-0 half-time lead was assured when full-back Anthony Watson picked a great line at pace to score under the posts, but the Falcons hit back convincingly after the break.
The second-half was only two minutes old when Shortland profited from quick hands and a well-worked set move at a close-range line-out down the left, Godman floating over the touchline conversion on a boiling evening.
And with gaps beginning to appear, a three-on-two allowed Noah Cato to score in the opposite corner, Godman again kicking the conversion.
That all set up a fitting finale, Banahan and Shortland’s tries ensuring neither side emerged victorious – a fair outcome in a game of positives for both clubs.
**Newcastle Falcons**: T Catterick, A Higgins, M Tait, A Crockett, S Brown, J Hodgson, C Pilgrim; G Strain, M Thompson, S Wilson, S Tomes, F McKenzie, R Mayhew, W Welch (captain), C York. Replacements: M Blair, C del Fava, M Tait, S MacLeod, P Godman, R Shortland, N Cato, O Tomaszczyk, R Vickers, S Lawson, D Barnes, J Helleur, A Tait, A Hogg, D Barrow.
**Falcons scorers** – Tries: R Shortland 2, N Cato. Conversions: P Godman 3.
**Bath**: A Watson, S Rokoduguni, M Banahan, O Devoto, T Biggs, T Heathcote, P Stringer; N Catt, R Batty, A Perenise, S Hooper, M Garvey, W Skuse, G Mercer, L Houston. Replacements: T Dunn, P James,K Palma-Newport, D Day, W Spencer,D Sisi, M Gilbert, N Koster, M Roberts, M Young, C Cook, A Fa’osiliva.
**Bath scorers** – Tries: A Perenise, A Watson, M Banahan. Conversions: T Heathcote 2 O Devoto.
**Referee**: R Poite (France)
